


Casual Kisses

by Marichat_Sins



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Protective Adrien, casual kisses, gabe is trying his hardest dammit, tutor - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2019-07-14 19:10:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16046747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marichat_Sins/pseuds/Marichat_Sins
Summary: Casual kisses. It's their thing. It didn't mean anything; really, it was just a way to relieve the tension between them. Adrien could still flirt with Ladybug, and Marinette could start moving on from Adrien. They were helping each other; it was completely harmless.No harm, no foul, right?"Does this mean anything to you? About us?""No."





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new book! I'm really excited about this one. I will also be posting this on Wattpad. 
> 
> The plan is to update every other Thursday, or every Thursday if I can. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy! Kudos and reviews are always welcome, and I could deal with some constructive criticism!

Casual kisses. It's their thing. It didn't mean anything; really, it was just a way to relieve the tension between them. Adrien could still flirt with Ladybug, and Marinette could start moving on from Adrien. They were helping each other; it was completely harmless. 

No harm, no foul, right?

* * *

Adrien pressed Marinette against the wall, panting heavily into her ear. He could barely see the outline of her shapely body within the dark supply closet, but he could most definitely feel it. 

"Does this mean anything to you? About us?" Adrien whispered hoarsely to her, his voice rough from his want for Marinette. He kept her caged within his arms; to keep this moment between them and them only. He littered her collarbone and bare shoulder with butterfly kisses, lips only making contact with her skin for a brief second before moving to a different spot. 

He couldn't feel the internal pain that Marinette felt; rather, he felt her nails rake down his clothed back. Adrien released a low groan, pulling away from her neck and gazing into her cerulean eyes. He looked at her with, was that hope? No, that was Marinette's overactive imagination. 

"No." Marinette answered finally, pulling him in until their lips met once more.


	2. A Sinner Down On His Knees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Skin on my skin, what a wonderful sin  
> Take your breath but you're asking for more  
> The tip of my finger is tracing your figure  
> I say good night and walk out the door." Thief -Ansel Elgort

    Skin.

    That was all that Adrien could think about as he fervently pressed his lips on Marinette's bare shoulder, maneuvering around the thin pale blue strap of her bra. Her skin was unusually cool against his burning mouth, which only made Adrien to touch her even more. Marinette's delicate fingers roamed around in Adrien's messy hair (the sight of his perfect hair being ruined by her still made Marinette's heart beat wildly), her nails scraping deliciously over his scalp. 

    Somewhere in Adrien's room the tank top that she had been wearing was thrown uncaringly, probably near his own abandoned shirt after their kissing got more heated as it did lately. Adrien's thoughts couldn't wander for long, being pulled back in by the sound of Marinette's soft moans as his lips instinctively neared the spot he knew that she loved. Reflexively, Adrien's long fingers squeezed Marinette's hip with his right hand, holding her down on his lap as his left hand strayed to the back pocket of her pink jeans. 

    He couldn't help but curl his lips at Marinette's quiet yelp as he lightly squeezed the plump flesh. Marinette retaliated though, squeezing her strong thighs around Adrien's hips, pulling him closer to her until she could feel the pulsing member that was being restrained by his jeans. 

    Often, in their little secret meetings, they escalated by a challenge being ignited, both of them being competitive, which Adrien loved. When it was just the two of them now, gone was the shy and timid Marinette; she was now replaced with a fiery and bold Marinette, one who was not afraid to explore the unknown with him. And to his pleasure, Marinette was willing to take the leap into that void with him.

    Once more, Adrien thoughts fade away as he focuses on Marinette's pleasure, which he seems to always be able to fixate on. Even though this deal was made to benefit both Marinette and him, he always strived to put her desires above his own.

    Maybe that was why Adrien got a little carried away and began to nibble right below Marinette's jaw, pulling her pale flesh between his teeth. Marinette had gotten distracted as well, apparently, clutching his head closer to her; she was lost in ecstasy and that meant that Adrien had achieved his goal.

    Suddenly, Marinette's hand began to bat at his shoulder lightly, muttered "Adrien"s replacing her moans as she pulled herself away from his offending mouth. "Rule number four, Adrien."

    "Shit," Adrien's voice faltered in dismay, unlatching his lips from her already bruising flesh. Marinette's porcelain skin was now a collage of red and pink where his mouth had been; a sign of his hard work. Even though he had felt proud of his success, his guilt overpowered the feeling as he remembered that he almost nearly -or did- break one of the only five rules they had made for their little deal. He could still see the sparkly pink ink that was written with Marinette's pretty, swirly handwriting. The five rules had filled out only a small portion of the page, but they were so important; each one plastered on the back of his eyelid

Rule Number 4: No visible marks. (Especially Adrien.)

They couldn't break these rules, not if they wanted to keep their secret rendezvous going. Adrien didn't know how Marinette felt, not concretely anyway, but he definitely did not want this to end. 

    "I'm so sorry Marinette! I just- I forgot, my mind went blank. I swear, I didn't mean to-" He sputtered out his words like they were burning him, much like the embarrassment that was spreading red from his cheeks to his ears. He flexed his fingers tightly around Marinette's thin waist, grounding her in place against him so he could explain. He was going to continue his apologies when Marinette stopped him by placing her finger against his lips, which were still burning and swollen from hers. 

    Her cerulean eyes glittered with amusement; her dark hair, long since fallen out of their signature pigtails, hung in knotted, loose waves around her shoulders, a few strays falling over her eyes. Her pink lips curled into a sincere smile, showing off the pearly white teeth that had once grazed the lower part of his abdomen.

    Pulling her finger away, Marinette leaned in closer to Adrien and moved her hand up to his cheek. "It's alright, Adrien. It was just an accident; no harm done." Her lightly calloused palm caressed his cheek, causing friction against the nearly invisible stubble of hair Adrien had after shaving in the morning. Adrien couldn't help but marvel at how he had managed to snatch Marinette, even though they weren't really together. 

    (Ladybug still had his heart after all, and Marinette had told him once that she was doing this to move on from someone. There wasn't a chance in hell he'd be able to get Marinette.)

    "No harm; no foul. Right?" Adrien smirked at the words, remembering the first time she had said that to him so many weeks ago. It was their saying, their little thing between them that no one else would understand. This was their secret code, undecipherable to anyone that wasn't a part of their little world.

    "Right." Adrien answered, his green eyes softening at the sight of the gorgeous girl before him. He could almost feel the radiant brilliancy that seemed to pour out of her smile as she leaned in closer to him. Marinette placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth, sensuously moving a steady, slow line of kisses until she reached her destination. She placed her hands on his chest, gradually pushing him down with her until he rested fully against his bed. He raised his own hand, setting it on the back of her neck, sliding it down until he rested the appendage on the small of her back, holding her close to him.

    Once again, the two had fallen into their complete obsession for each other. They became a bundle of tangled hair and limbs, lips swollen and bruised as they pressed on for more. They became heated, the air becoming more humid as the two eighteen year-olds grasped for each other; desperately searching for more skin to touch.

    Skin. Adrien had always thrived off of human contact; his mother had always told him that he was a very touchy boy, and that it was one of the things that she loved him. If he was touchy with others, then he was completely crazed about touching Marinette. He craved for her touch, like a tantalus desire that he could never get enough of. Maybe it was more proper to compare her to a tantalus sin that he was able to get a taste of, that he wanted more of.

    And if she were a sin, then he was a sinner down on his knees.

    Adrien tugged against Marinette's dark locks, searching for any bare skin that he could get his mouth on but Marinette had beaten him to it. The tips of her fingers ghosted over the sides of his ribs, dipping into every crevice as she placed arousing kisses down the center of his chest, teasingly looking up at him through her thick black lashes as she slowly detached her lips, her pouty, soft lips, from his burning skin, a tiny smirk gracing her features.

    Marinette moved lethargically, slowly nearing Adrien's head for a deep kiss. She was near enough that he could feel her hot breath, see every freckle that dusted the bridge of her nose and cheeks. He was so close, if he just tilted his head up -just a centimeter- he could meet his lips with hers- but he knew it was better to wait. "Good things come to those who wait," whoever said that was right when it came to Marinette. She was edging closer, feather caresses of their lips. 

_Just a little more. Just a little more- ___

____

    The voice of Indila interrupted the two. A surprised Marinette regained her clumsiness as she knocked her forehead with Adrien's, who jumped when he heard the lyrics blaring out of Marinette's phone. Hands reaching up to rub her sore head, the rest of Marinette's body fell against Adrien's with an "Oof!", her head narrowly missing his as she landed face first into the pillow Adrien was laying on. 

____

    Adrien grunted as Marinette scrambled on top of him, a knee digging into his stomach at one point, as she lunged forward to grab her phone off of his nightstand. With the palm of her hand boring into the soft flesh between his pec and shoulder, Adrien held back a wince as Marinette answered her phone.

____

    "Hello?" Marinette greeted breathlessly, mouthing an apology to Adrien as she saw his face twitching in pain. She moved soundlessly until she was resting her head on his chest, the rest of her body curled against his side. With her buried between his arm and ribcage, Adrien settled back into his mattress, his free arm curled beneath his head as he did everything he could to not focus on the throbbing problem Marinette had caused.

____

    "Alya?" Marinette's body went stiff, tensing up next to him. She bolted up, nearly elbowing Adrien in her haste to get out of the bed. "No, no, no! I didn't forget, I swear! Can you just come ten minutes later? I-I forgot to clean my room!" Adrien sat up as well, watching Marinette in concern as she became a klutzy mess in front of him once more. Really, Adrien should have known to be better prepared as soon as he saw her clumsiness return. He should have. Then he could have stopped what happened next.

____

    "No, this is really dirty. I've been uh-" Marinette's foot slipped against the silk sheets of Adrien's bed. "I've been looking for a certain material. I'll see you in fifteen okay? Bye!" Marinette's goodbye to Alya came out as more of a screech as her aforementioned slip caused her to go hurtling to the floor.

____

    By the time Adrien had reached out to grab her, he had only managed to snatch her calf. This proved to be useless as he held the limb in his hand, lifting Marinette's left leg up as the rest of her was what seemed to be an uncomfortable tangle of limbs on the ground. Adrien bit back his laugh as he reached a hand down to help her up, ignoring the glare that she was sending his way as he pulled her up to her feet.

____

    "What was that about?" Adrien asked as Marinette grabbed her discarded tanktop -which was indeed next to his own shirt- and slid it on over her head. She sat down next to him as she tried to slip on her pink flats as quickly as she could.

____

    "I forgot that Alya and I were supposed to be meeting at my house to study for the test tomorrow. We were supposed to meet in five minutes. Ugh!" Adrien grabbed Marinette's wrist before she could slap herself in the face. "I'm so stupid! How could I have forgot?" 

____

    "You're fine. You pushed it back, you'll be back in time." Adrien combed his fingers through her tangled hair, pulling through the knots as best as he could. He took the hair tie that had been lying on his bed from when he had taken it out of her hair during their... 'session'. He pulled her raven hair back into a ponytail, placing the tie around it as she finished putting her shoes on.

____

    "Yeah, you're right."

____

    "So you guys are studying for the physics exam tomorrow?" Marinette nodded, leaning back against his bare chest as he pulled her in closer to him, not quite ready to end their time. He buried his nose into her dark strands, smelling the faint scent of her strawberry vanilla shampoo. "I could come help you guys. I'm _very _good at physics." He nearly purred to her, pressing his lips against the back of her neck in a chaste kiss. Marinette hummed in response.__

____

__"As great as that would be, it would be too suspicious if you showed up." Adrien knew that she was right, more than he would like to admit. But he couldn't stop her and keep her to himself because she wasn't his._ _

____

__Adrien watched as Marinette stood up, grabbing her handmade purse off of his nightstand before turning to him. "That was really sweet though, but," Marinette kissed Adrien's cheek to show him how grateful she was. "Maybe next time," Marinette whispered in a low voice, her lips brushing against the shell of Adrien's ear. "You can tutor me in other ways." She pulled away with a tantalizing smirk as she left Adrien in his bedroom, leaving through the door of his apartment after putting on a pair of sunglasses and a hat that she had designed._ _

____

__With his face a bright pink, Adrien fell back into his bed, burying his face into the chilly silk sheets to cool his burning skin. His bedding still smelled like her, as did most of his apartment; her perfume lingered around his apartment like a ghost, a haunting reminder of what he has done. Everywhere he went, whether it be the kitchen or bathroom or living room, their was always just a hint of a reminder that Marinette had been there too. There was always a memory (some more erotic while others were more tame) of what the two had done in the specific area. And it was consuming him whole._ _

____

__He flipped over onto his back, staring at the ceiling that was a lot closer than the one he had at his father's house._ _

____

__"Geez kid, I'm starting to think that you moved out of your pop's house just so you can meet up with Marinette in private." Plagg sniggered at Adrien's glare, phasing through the pillow that his holder hurled at him. The kwami neared the eighteen year-old boy with a slice of camembert._ _

____

__"Get out." Adrien groaned, digging the heel of his palm into his eyes lightly in annoyance. He rubbed his eyes like that for a few moments, as if he were trying to wipe the image of Marinette in her pale blue bra, her porcelain skin being pressed against his own golden skin. Try to forget the picture of one of her bra straps sliding down the slope of her shoulder, the feeling of her dark hair tickling his face as she leaned in for a kiss- All these thoughts were not making it easier to get rid of the problem that Marinette had left him with._ _

____

__"Have unfinished business you need to handle?"_ _

____

__"Out!" Plagg didn't have enough time to dodge the second pillow thrown at him. Adrien could hear the faint sound of Plagg's shriek of laughter before he shut the door to his room. Plagg was right about one thing, Adrien did have a situation that needed to be handled. The only problem was, how does he handle it?_ _

____

__Laying back in his bed, Adrien pictured Marinette. If he focused hard enough, he could almost feel the feather-like touches of her lips on his skin. He could see her startling blue eyes looking up at him as she went lower and lower- Adrien threw his head back on his pillowless mattress, stifling a moan. He could feel the ghostly traces of Marinette's nails grazing against his thighs. Instead of a smirk on her pale pink lips, Marinette's mouth was curled into that big, confident smile that could make his heart rip from his chest._ _

____

__Ladybug began to flash within his images of Marinette, almost as if she were fighting to get attention from Marinette._ _

____

__Adrien's closed eyes began to twitch, trying his hardest to focus on Marinette and Marinette only. Eventually, after several minutes of Marinette and Ladybug both trying to take control of his thoughts, Adrien finally gave up. His hand moved from where it rested near his trousers up to his chest, his emerald eyes finally opening._ _

____

__Adrien would never get to have Marinette, not when Ladybug still takes a part of his heart. It wouldn't be fair to either one of them, Adrien included, if he could not give his entire heart to one. Sighing, Adrien pushed himself off of his messy bed, heading over to his connected bathroom._ _

____

__A cold shower it is then._ _

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The very first chapter of Casual Kisses! What did you guys think? I hope it was good!
> 
> Just in case you didn't catch it, Adrien no longer lives with his father, but in an apartment alone. This will be explained further in the book. 
> 
> And no, Adrien does not love Marinette. This is just a feeling of lust, for now anyways. He will eventually, duh, but as of now he is just confused. 
> 
> Anyways, this will be updated every other Thursday, with maybe a few updates before the scheduled day, depending on if I can write the chapter fast enough! These will be longer chapters, so please bear with me!
> 
> Until next time, peace!


	3. Stuck On You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Going to run my fingers thru your long black hair  
> Squeeze you tighter than a grizzly bear  
> I'm going to stick like glue  
> Stick, because I'm  
> Stuck on you" Stuck on You - Elvis Presley

  This day was going great for Marinette. Even though she had stayed up way to late with Alya the night before, Marinette had still managed to get up on time and have some of her dad's hearty breakfast (Her parents were the best bakers in all of Paris, but her papa most definitely made the best bacon in all the world.) She made it to school before the bell rang and she got her English language homework done during class. She had one class left before she would be able to go home and eat her maman's lunch, but one thing stood in her way. 

    Her physics exam.

    Although Marinette had studied the previous night with Alya, she still had no clue how she was going to pass this test. No matter what they did, Marinette just could not memorize the formulas she needed for the writing portion of the exam. Why does motion have four different equations? If these physicists were so smart, then why couldn't they have come up with just one universal formula? Don't even get Marinette started on the whole converting joules to work and power and all that junk! 

    This was useless. She was going to fail this test, and then she was going to fail the class, and then Gabriel Agreste will see her grade and he will never take her on as an apprentice, and then Adrien will- Okay, maybe she was getting a little too far ahead of herself with this, but she was worried! She was just barely hanging on the edge of satisfactory on her report card, if she failed this test, her 8.7 in this class would drop down to a 6.5 at least! And her parents were already not too happy about her grade, they would be even more disappointed if it became a 6.5!

    Marinette groaned, burying her head into her arms on her desk, aware of Nino and Alya's eyes on her. She was Ladybug. She could be confident and bold and sexy -Adrien had told her that she was sexy several times- and yet, she couldn't even rise to the occasion when it came to studying for her physics exam. She blamed her designs, she honestly did. Whenever she started to study for physics, she'd catch a fabric in the side of her eye and of course she had to finish the new shirt or dress or whatever it was at the time, and then it'd be too late to do physics- Okay, Marinette really needed to stop pushing the blame off of herself. It was her fault. Maybe. Definitely. Ugh!

    "Uh... Marinette? Are you okay dude?" Nino received an answer in the form of another drawn out groan. Alya poked Marinette in the shoulder, hoping for a reaction but received nothing in response.

    "She didn't do so well during our study session last night," Alya explained, leaning over her best friend to give her the best hug she could. Alya continued, "And she really can't do bad on this test." The young journalist rubbed her best friend's shoulder soothingly before shaking her up. She pulled the raven-haired girl right up and out of her arms so Marinette could face Nino and Alya. "Look at us."

    "What the heck, Alya? Just let me drown in my own self-pity." Marinette said querulously, trying to slump back into her seat. She loved her friends, she really did. They were some of the best things that life had given her, (If you ignore Adrien in all his holiness and her literal god friend Tikki, not to mention her partner Chat Noir) but sometimes she just wanted to curl up in a pit of her despair. They always seemed to pull her up from that, and Marinette guessed that she should be grateful for that, as she always was.

    Alya, her bespectacled best friend, helped her so much, it was hard not to be grateful. She looked at Alya, suddenly being hit by all the changes her friend had gone through over the last few years. Her hair used to be long, but now the tips of her auburn locks dangled an inch or two above her shoulders, still with the blonde ombre she always had. It suits her, Marinette thought vaguely, remembering the day that Alya had cut it. 

She complained about how her hair had gotten in the way of her footage of a fight between Ladybug and Chat Noir and the latest akuma at the time. So she came to Marinette's house and took a pair of scissors off her fabric desk and cut her hair over the sink on a whim. Marinette wrinkled her nose at the thought of cleaning up all the hair over the following few days. Alya had been grounded for a week after she went back home; her mother was annoyed that she didn't just go to a hair stylist, but the action had -just like her hair- suited her perfectly. Alya didn't let anything stop her, she just did what she wanted and when she wanted it. She made up for Marinette's wariness that was slowly disappearing. The nose piercing that Alya had gotten, however, was planned for her eighteenth birthday instead of her getting a tattoo.

The three cartilage piercings on Alya's left ear glinted in the light as the reporter turned to talk to Nino. Thinking back on it, Nino himself hasn't really changed much. Sure, he grew into his ears, and had broader shoulders than he did when they were younger, but Nino has always known his style. And Marinette was happy that Nino was a constant. Being the boyfriend of Alya, it was a good balance between the two to be constant and ever-changing. 

"I'm sure you'll do great on this exam, dude!" Nino said when he noticed that Marinette was watching him. He sent her a gleaming grin, along with a wink to encourage her that he really does believe it.

Just then Adrien walked into the classroom. His morning had gone the opposite of Marinette's. Staying up for most of the night arguing with himself between Marinette and Ladybug, as well as his resulting problem after his time with Marinette it was a long and hard night. Plagg ensures that the pun is intended. All of this resulted in him waking up late -even sleeping through Nathalie barging into his room- and not getting to eat his breakfast, which really sucked with how fast he burned his calories being Chat Noir. This test was the one good thing he knew could come from today (besides maybe sneaking off with Marinette later if she was willing, but that would probably result in more guilt). He knew he could pass this test because anything science-related came as a breeze to him.

But that thought flew- no, more like threw itself out the window- as soon as he laid his eyes on Marinette. She was... solemn? Was that the word for it? Her sparkling cerulean eyes from last night now held a thin layer of gray, the same color the ocean takes during a rampaging storm. Her thin brows were drawn just the tiniest bit, her lips not frowning but not smiling like they usually do either. Something was wrong, and he wasn't the only one to notice based off the concerned looks that Nino and Alya keep sending her way.

"Hey Marinette," Adrien greeted casually, his voice sounding like the farce he put up for his fans and father when he wanted to be anywhere but there. He couldn't let Alya and Nino see that he knew Marinette better than he should, but he also couldn't just leave Marinette like that! She was his friend (Plagg's voice nagged in the back of his head at that) and even if she up and decided to end their little deal right now, he would still be concerned about her. Who wouldn't be concerned about the girl that was a little ray of sunshine? "What's up?"

Marinette's eyes sparked a little bit of life back into them as she turned to him, sending him a weak smile before digging her face back in her arms. 

_I've accepted my fate, _Marinette thought to herself as Alya explained the situation to Adrien. For a moment, nothing was said and Marinette assumed that Adrien had sat down in his seat to prepare for the exam. But no sooner than the thought had crossed her mind had she felt a familiar heat envelope her wrist. Looking up, she saw Adrien give her that sincere smile that she only seems to see when they're alone. Not this time though, his emerald eyes had softened as he squeezed her wrist encouragingly; his thumb soothingly rubbed the sensitive flesh of the underside of her wrist.__

"Everything's going to be alright Marinette." The words "I promise" were not said between the two. It was an unnoted rule between the two. Never were you allowed to promise something, because this complicated tango the two were in could not promise anything. You couldn't promise to get feelings, as well as you couldn't promise to not get feelings. Adrien can't promise that he is going to be a part of Marinette's life forever and vice versa. So they just didn't. There can't be any hurt feelings if there are no promises between the two. Right?

Adrien was so lost in his thoughts, he missed the adorable flush that traveled up Marinette's cheeks to the tips of her ears. Before he could notice this, Madame Mendeliev entered the room, tests in hand with a rather wicked grin curled on her thin lips. Sometimes, she really fits the maniacal scientist trope. With the warning that any indication of cheating will result in both people earning a zero, the kids all sat in their seats waiting for the exam sheets to be passed back to them.

Adrien had one last passing thought to Marinette as his sheet was handed to him by Madame Mendeliev, who looked genuinely happy to see him (he was one of her favorites seeing that he was one of the few that took her advanced bio-chemistry class). He shot a quick glance behind him as Madame moved forward. Feeling content with her looking more confident, Adrien turned back to his exam to get started.

_She'll be fine, she's Marinette. ___

* * *

__Marinette was most definitely _not_ fine.__

____When she had gotten her exam, it felt as if she were reading a different language. They were just a jumbled mess of letters and numbers, and she most definitely failed it. And no matter what she did, the thought of it just soured her mood. Even now as she walked with Nino, Alya, and Adrien to wherever it was they were going to for lunch, she couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself. And Adrien noticed this._ _ _ _

____Maybe that was why he suggested that the group went to _Espoirs et Rêves_ , the little cafe that Marinette loved so much. He wasn't even thinking about it as he proposed the idea, but it definitely brought on the best reward. Marinette's eyes brightened in excitement, her blinding smile back on her lips as she thought about her favorite cafe.___ _

______Alya nodded in agreement, her short hair blowing in the wind as Nino sent him a smirk, which confused Adrien. After mouthing "What?" to Nino, he received no response as his DJ friend turned back to Alya, the two walking ahead of Adrien and Marinette, lost in some debate they had been having before their physics class._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Those two are still going strong, huh?" Marinette said, watching her friends with a sincere grin as she saw Alya shove Nino to the side with a boisterous laugh that was soon followed by Nino's. Marinette turned her attention to Adrien as he nodded in agreement._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Yeah, they have something everyone wants." Adrien trailed off absentmindedly, his thoughts being filled with images of Ladybug. He was quickly yanked back when Marinette sneakily slipped her small hand into his larger one; her slim fingers interlocked with his own. She squeezed his hand encouragingly, her eyes glittering with a form of hope as she spoke, her dark hair blowing wildly in the nipping wind._ _ _ _ _ _

______"I think we'll all find something like that someday." While Marinette's thoughts were right there, Adrien thought she was somewhere else, almost on a different world entirely._ _ _ _ _ _

______Is she thinking about that guy she's trying to get over? It wasn't a fair thought, Adrien knows that. He was thinking about Ladybug, who always seemed like an enigma that he could never quite get a hold of. And maybe she was, but that didn't mean that his feelings for her would just disappear. Noticing Marinette staring at him, Adrien acted on impulse as he raised their laced hands, pressing a quick kiss on her freezing knuckles._ _ _ _ _ _

______"I think you're right." That answer normally would have sent butterflies into Marinette's stomach and get her heart racing. And it probably would have._ _ _ _ _ _

______If Adrien had kept his hand in hers._ _ _ _ _ _

* * *

______"Oh my god," Alya moaned as the group walked inside the warm cafe, "It's so much nicer in here!" Marinette agreed with Alya, glad to get out of that cold weather._ _ _ _ _ _

______Fall was at its peak in Paris now on the first week of October, the leaves changing into the beautiful reds and golds that would litter the streets and sidewalks. Fall always was Marinette's favorite season of the year. It was the most beautiful in her eyes, and not to mention Halloween (Marinette's absolute favorite holiday. She loved binge watching classics with Alya on Halloween, as well as handing out candy to the children). The only downside of fall now was her body change as Ladybug. Tikki had mentioned to her once about how the Miraculous could change her body, and she was right. Marinette was more tired in the cold weather, and her body heat could not keep her warm so she was always colder than the rest of her classmates. Chat Noir had mentioned to her once that he was always warm and rarely felt the cold. She was definitely jealous of that. He was practically a furnace during the colder seasons -which she will not explain how she knows that._ _ _ _ _ _

______"This is why you bring a jacket, Alya." Nino tsked, shrugging off the olive green coat he was wearing before throwing it casually against the booth the group was going to sit in. The reporter glared at her boyfriend, sending chills down his spine._ _ _ _ _ _

______"That's why you offer your jacket to me, idiot."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Why would I be cold if you didn't-"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Okay!" Marinette declared loudly, clapping her hands together once in order to get Nino's and Alya's attention. "How about we order our lunch now? We've got to be back to school soon guys." Alya snorted as she pointed behind Marinette, a cocky smirk curled on her face as her hazel eyes shined in scheming delight._ _ _ _ _ _

______"It looks like Adrien is already on top of that, Mari." Nino bit the inside of his cheek to refrain from smiling, but Alya was full on grinning, just barely avoiding wiggling her eyebrows._ _ _ _ _ _

______Turning around, Marinette saw Adrien walking towards the group, a decorative mug in both hands and a plate with two slices of quiche lorraine balanced on his arm as he made his way to the table. Marinette was confused as he set the mugs down on the table and placed the plate of food in between her and him._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Here, I got this for you." Adrien slid one of the mugs towards Marinette, a wide grin on his face when she recognized it as her favorite mug. One of the reasons that Marinette loved _Espoirs et Rêves_ so much was because of all the unique coffee cups that they had. Marinette's personal favorite was a white, rounded mug with a rather simple design on the front. There was the outline of the Eiffel Tower in black and the back of a cat sitting in front of it, also in black. Surrounding the cat and tower, were a few dainty little hearts that were colored a pale pink. Marinette couldn't believe that Adrien had remembered that this cup was her favorite, after all, she had only been here with him once before, a few months ago. He teased her with the idea that it was her favorite because she loved Chat Noir. He didn't know how wrong he was...___ _ _ _

________"Peppermint hot chocolate. It's your favorite, right?" Adrien hid a knowing smirk behind his own decorative coffee cup, which was simply a dark blue cylinder with the capital letter A on it in silver. His own cup was filled with plain black coffee, an energizer for the surely long day he had ahead of him. Marinette gave him that radiant smiled that he so very much enjoyed to see._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yep!" Marinette answered before taking a sip from the chocolatey goodness. She watched as Adrien slid into the booth across from her, sitting next to the window as Nino and Alya went to order their meals, the duo giggling as they left Adrien and Marinette by themselves. He began to eat one of the pieces of quiche on the plate, his fork barely making any noise as it hit the ceramic plate, due to years of practice thanks to his father. When he was halfway to eating the next bite, Adrien glanced up at Marinette._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Aren't you gonna eat? I got you a piece." Marinette giggled behind her hand as tiny bits of the egg fell from Adrien's mouth. She felt that she should be grossed out by the sight, but it was so un-Adrien like that she found it adorable. Adrien, however, felt embarrassed that he had actually done that, his ears burning a bright pink as he quickly picked up a napkin and cleaned his mouth. Clearing his throat, Adrien continued. "I mean- I got this piece for you." He nudged the plate in her direction so she could eat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You didn't have to, Adrien. Really." She didn't have to thank him, he could hear her gratitude loud and clear in her voice._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I know," _But you love quiche and peppermint hot chocolate, you told me it always cheers you up,_ he thought, but instead he answered with, "But I wanted to, so I did." _It was the least I could do._ So many thoughts and yet he couldn't say any of them, as if something was restraining him from do so. Marinette looked genuinely happy, however, so it didn't bother Adrien too much. "Now, eat. Or do you want me to come over there and feed you myself?"_____ _ _ _

____________He didn't bother hiding his sly grin as Marinette's face flushed a deep red. In a jolt, he realized that Marinette had lightly nudged her foot against his shin in an attempt at retaliation for the comment. As though prepared for a reprisal, Marinette didn't even flinch as he gently kicked her back. His sly smirk turned into a cocky grin as he settled back into his booth, taking another bite of quiche. The fork clanged with his teeth though as Marinette kicked him once again, but when he looked up at her she was sitting innocently, eating her cut of quiche as if she hadn't done anything._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________So that's how it's going to be?_ Once again, a competition broke out between the two, which is one of the things that kept Adrien drawn to Marinette in the first place. Being careful in how much strength Adrien put into his kicks, he jutted out his foot until it connected with Marinette's ankle. Or at least what he had initially thought was her ankle until he heard the hollow thud, informing him that he had kicked the wooden panel beneath her booth instead of her.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________She smirked victoriously, continuing to eat her quiche as Nino and Alya returned with their food and drinks. But when Nino sat down next to Adrien, Marinette hadn't been anticipating Adrien knocking his calf against hers, making her kick Nino instead. Alarmed, Nino gave Marinette a look of shock._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"What was that for?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"I uh-" Once more Adrien was hiding his impish grin behind his mug, drinking the bitter coffee as Marinette stumbled over her words in order to give a reasonable answer. "That was for not giving Alya your jacket!" Adrien snorted into his mug, but when Nino turned to look at him he cleared his throat, giving some excuse that the coffee was really hot._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"See! I told you Marinette would be on my side!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Across the booth Marinette was giving Adrien some serious side-glare, and he couldn't help but smile. At least she wasn't upset about her test anymore. Now they could just enjoy being at the cafe._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"I am the Caffeinator!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Or so they thought._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	4. "Can You Do That Cool Thing You Do With Your Stick?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I loved you from the start/  
> So it breaks my heart/  
> When you say I’m just a friend to you/  
> ‘Cause friends don’t do the things we do.”  
> Just a Friend to You, Meghan Trainor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna lie, I am disappointed with how this chapter turned out, but I am excited for the next few chapters! Enjoy! And constructive criticism is always welcome! Until next time, peace!

“I am the Caffeinator!”

The loud voice bellowed throughout the cafe as the glass windows next to the group shattered into hundreds of sharp, jagged pieces that rained down onto them and other customers in the cafe. Adrien and Marinette both covered the nearest person to them, Nino and Alya, taking the brunt of the damage. However, it seems that Marinette’s Ladybug Luck had kicked in as both Marinette and Adrien had very minimal cuts on them, as did the others around them. Pushing Alya under the table for protection, Marinette got a quick glimpse of the latest akuma.

A young boy, not much older than eight, stood in the center of the cafe, his wide green eyes looking around wildly at the cowering customers around them. He was like a constant barrage of movement, his body never staying still, as if he were vibrating. He became almost transparent by how fast he moved, but he stayed in one place. His skin was paled into an almost translucent colored, almost appearing to be a ghost. He wore a suit and tie that seemed to be too large for him, and his brown hair was mussy and sticking up in various places as if it was charged with static electricity.

That was all that Marinette had gotten to see as Adrien grabbed her wrist and pulled her under the table with him just as the young akuma began to laugh irrationally, his head cocked back as he watched the fear in his victims’ eyes. His booming voice, much to deep to look natural to such a little kid, rang throughout the cafe once more. 

“She said I was too young to have coffee! Am I too young now? Huh?” He cackled once more as he continued, “Now everyone will get to have caffeine!” Marinette could hear the youth in the akuma’s pronunciation of caffeine, coming off more childish than anything, but he was quick to prove his point. The tiny, constantly moving object he held in his hand was aimed at one of the hostages, moving too fast for Marinette or Adrien to get over to her. At first, she seemed fine as she glanced over her body. As soon as the relief had washed over her face, however, she grabbed her head and winced in pain.

“Now, I will get their Miracuwous!” The akuma hollered before exiting the cafe in the blink of an eye, leaving the people inside to run out at every available exit in a hectic rush. 

Alya rushed over to the victim of the Caffeinator’s hit, who was now grabbing at her head and moaning in pain. “Guys, guys get over here! We need to get her help, fast!” Nino hastily made his way over as well, whereas Adrien and Marinette stayed back. They were going to take this as their chance to transform.

“I’ll go get some help!” They said simultaneously, before sending each other incredulous looks. They didn’t stare too long though as the lady moaned in pain again, both bolting for the door. Just as Adrien turned to give Marinette an excuse as to why they need to split up, he realized that Marinette was no longer behind him; lost in the frenzied crowd of people running away from the Caffeinator.

He dealt with a brief flash of worry for her, but quickly brushed it off as he heard the Caffeinator call for Ladybug and Chat Noir. He had to focus on his fight for now, and save others from the same fate that the lady in the cafe is suffering. Ducking behind a dumpster in an alleyway, Adrien didn’t even give Plagg enough time to make a snarky comment as he called out his transformation, quickly changing into Chat Noir.

This was going to be a dangerous fight, Adrien could feel it in his bones. It wasn’t exactly a comforting feeling either as Adrien bursted into the cafe he had left his friends in to find Ladybug already in their with the Caffeinator, who had found and followed Ladybug back to this location. “Chat Noir!” Ladybug’s eyes lit up in hope as she noticed her partner arrived.

She didn’t need to verbally convey her plan, it was obvious enough as he noticed the lady from before convulsing on the ground. He was needed to be a distraction so that Ladybug could get the victim from earlier to some place like a hospital to get help. He popped the joints in his fingers, preparing for a fight as he extended his baton into a staff. “No worries, My Lady,” He sent her a flirtatious wink in order to keep his partner calm, “It’s going to take a lot more than caffeine to hold me down.”

Marinette took her cue as Chat Noir leapt towards the akuma. Grabbing the victim as carefully as she could, Marinette began to swing towards the hospital when she heard Alya shout out from under the table. She got to turn in time to see Alya had jumped in front of her to take the hit from the Caffeinator for Chat Noir. 

“Alya!” The duo yelled in unison as they saw their friend get struck with a beam. Alya, however, was mostly calm on her part. Not taking any chances, Marinette grabs Alya as well before slinging out of the cafe as Chat Noir swung his staff to hit the Caffeinator in the shoulder to draw his attention back to him. He determinedly tried his best to ignore the fact that Alya could very well be in danger thank to him, instead releasing his immense anger onto the akuma as he swung and missed the Caffeinator several times, the little boy laughing joyously as he vibrated from place to place, as if he were disappearing and phasing into another area.

_Please hurry, LB. ___

* * *

Ladybug frantically latched her yoyo onto a random chimney, yanking herself and the two others she was holding closer and closer to the hospital as the lady in her arm shook crazily, unable to keep still. Marinette abruptly fell to her feet, probably spraining her ankle as pain shot up her leg from the shotty landing. She tumbled to her knees, keeping the convulsing lady in her arms as she skid across the cement. Biting back her pain, she pulled Alya along behind her as she ran into the hospital, immediately taking notice as one part of the dynamic heroes of Paris. 

“These people need help! Quickly!” A gurney was instantly rolled over to her where she laid the shaking lady on, helping the nurses strap her down as they rushed her off into the emergency room. The sighting of Ladybug brought on a commotion within the hospital as people began to question loudly what was going on and if they were in danger. 

One calm nurse eventually approached Ladybug and Alya, gently resting her hand on Alya’s shoulder as she spoke to the spotted heroine. “Can you tell me what’s happening? Is there anything we should be keeping an eye on or looking for in these two young ladies?” 

“I’m not sure,” Marinette answered honestly. She truly didn’t know what was happening and she was terrified of it. She was even more terrified about leaving her partner out there without backup for too long. “Maybe something with caffeine? The akuma’s called the Caffeinator, so that is the most likely scenario and-” Marinette’s throat swelled as her eyes were drawn to the TV that was on TVi news. Her partner was on the screen, the akuma running literal circles around him as he shot at him carelessly, the slim cat-themed hero narrowly dodging the hits. The camera captured Chat Noir being knocked into the air over the Seine by the Caffeinator before the screen went black as the cameraman was hit by the Caffeinator’s beam. 

“Send everyone you can to find victims that have been hit by the Caffeinator!” The moment Ladybug saw the nurse nod her head in confirmation, she ran outside of the hospital, jumping into the air to swing over to where she had seen Chat Noir on TV. Feeling the indestructible wire on her yo-yo go taut, Marinette pulled on it so she would be launched over the apartment buildings around her. Rolling on the roof, she could see the speck that was Chat Noir leaping over the roofs with his staff in hand, the Caffeinator right behind him. Said staff was knocked out of his grip, rolling along the roof until it fell to the street below them. 

The Caffeinator held the spinning weapon in his hand, a wild shot heading Chat Noir’s way along with several others. Adrien’s eyes widened as he saw the approaching shots, knowing that he would not be able to move out of the way fast enough, not without his staff. He didn’t have to worry about it for long though as Ladybug suddenly swung in front of him, her yo-yo spinning at an incredible speed in front of them. The beams of whatever it was the Caffeinator was shooting were deflected off of the makeshift shield that Ladybug had made. 

“Perfect timing as always, My Lady.” He didn’t have to be looking at her to see that she was rolling her eyes at him. He sent her a flirtatious wink regardless before saluting to her as he jumped off the roof to go retrieve his baton so that he could have more protection for himself. He grabbed the cool metal and promptly shot himself into the air, trailing after his partner as they fled from the akuma. Swinging around the akuma to confuse him, the quickly managed to lose him behind a few apartment buildings, hiding out on a balcony as he searched for them. A light beeping noise was coming from the yo-yo in Ladybug’s hand, probably the reason why they had to flee. 

“Why are we running _away_ from the akuma?” Ladybug held a finger up at him, ignoring him as she opened her yo-yo to find a new video on the Ladyblog. 

Alya was inside a hospital room, a nurse next to her checking her vitals as Alya spoke to her phone. “Ladybug!” the video began, a look of concern washed over the usually devious features that Alya held. “You were right about the caffeine, the Caffeinator is putting deadly amounts of caffeine inside the victims he hits and-” The camera turned sharply to the nurse that Marinette had spoken to earlier, taking over for Alya to explain what was happening. 

“That first victim you brought in, she has ten minutes at the most. It only takes fifteen minutes for a caffeine overdose to kill a person, but it can vary for person to person. You don’t have much time-” The video cut off as Ladybug set a ten minute timer on her yo-yo, Chat Noir doing the same with his staff. Ladybug’s already porcelain colored skin paled into an almost ghostly color. These people could die, Alya could die. This was serious, and now they were being limited by time. 

___Wasting not a second more, Ladybug called out for a lucky charm. A red and black spotted bottle fell into her hand, confusing the duo as they inspected the tiny item that was supposed to help them._ _ _

___“I know that we’re in a sticky situation-” Chat Noir winced at Ladybug’s glare, forgetting for a moment about how dire of a situation they were in, “but how is super glue supposed to help us?”_ _ _

___Marinette didn’t have time to answer as the space between her Chat Noir became smoldering burnt bricks. The Caffeinator had found them. He shot at them again, this time missing them by a profoundly large distance._ _ _

___“Slow your roll, you can’t even hit us!” Chat Noir taunted as the Caffeinator missed once again, making a show of it as he sat on his the top of his extended staff. He tilted his head as the Caffeinator botched another shot at him._ _ _

_“Slow your roll”... He’s moving so fast that he can’t aim! I can work with that._

____

_____“Chat Noir!” Her partner turned to her with a grin, easily dodging another shot from the Caffeinator, who was growing increasingly frustrated. She sent him a cheeky wink in return as she told him what needed to be done. “Time to slow down.”_ _ _ _ _

____

_____“Well,” Chat Noir said with a shrug, leaping over to Ladybug in a leisurely pace as the Caffeinator grew more and more fed up, showing just how young the boy was. “No use in pro _caffeinating_ , right?”___ _ _

____

_______Chat Noir earned no response as a resounding beeping came from Marinette’s earrings, alerting them that she had just four minutes before her transformation dropped. Acting quickly, Ladybug slipped the bottle of super glue into Chat Noir’s right hand. That was when Chat Noir got the hint of what they were going to be doing. He kept the tiny container in his fist, holding his baton in the other as the previously set timer counted down. They were at less than seven minutes now, giving them one chance to defeat this akuma before some irreversible damage could happen._ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______Ladybug deflected an oncoming shot, contorting her body in a weird twist as she spun her yo-yo at high speeds in front of her. She covered Chat Noir as well, as he searched for a way to get close enough to the Caffeinator without getting hurt. And… He was coming to a blank. Running across the walls, he becomes an easily accessible object, even with Ladybug defending him. He could just run straight at the Caffeinator, but Adrien had a feeling that even the Caffeinator wouldn’t miss a head on shot. He was running out of ideas. Unless-_ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______He was just going to have to risk it._ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______“Ladybug, throw m-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______“On it!” The yo-yo was wrapped tightly around his middle before he even finished his thought, the beeps of her earrings going off once again. No matter how many times Ladybug threw him, nothing could ever prepare him as he was thrown through the air and straight at the Caffeinator. His cry of “Cataclysm!” was what made the Caffeinator’s eyes widen as Chat Noir approached him at an incredibly fast speed. He shot several beams of what was probably caffeine at Chat Noir and Ladybug, a few of the shots actually manage to hit Chat Noir in the chest._ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______The bottle disintegrated in his hand thanks to his Cataclysm, the liquid spilling out onto his leather covered hand as Chat grabbed the Caffeinator’s wrist, which held the spinning weapon. As the boys collided, the weapon flew out of the akuma’s fingers and skidded to a stop over to Ladybug. The little boy put up a fight, clawing and kicking at Chat Noir as the cat-themed hero tried his best to restrain the sprightly akuma. With his hand glued to the Caffeinator, the akuma couldn’t run away at impossible speeds, he was stuck where he was at with Chat Noir._ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______Ladybug flung her yo-yo at the still vibrating weapon, breaking the gun-like firearm in half as a black akuma fluttered its way out in an attempt to escape and flee back to Hawkmoth. Capturing the akuma within her yo-yo, a white butterfly was what left, successfully purifying the akuma. She threw her yo-yo in the air, calling “Miraculous Ladybug” as everything returned to normal. Thousands of ladybugs swarmed around Chat Noir, ridding the caffeine that had been added inside his body._ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______“Chat Noir!” Adrien looked up as a frantic Ladybug ran up to him, dropping on her knees and grabbing his shoulders as she inspected him. “Are you okay?” along with a few other questions that were full of concern tumbled out of Ladybug’s lips as she placed her fingers against his throat to check if his pulse was faster than it should be, searching for any symptoms of a caffeine overdose that she knew of._ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______Adrien chuckled breathlessly, the flush of his cheeks hidden under the dark mask that covered most of his face. Ladybug grabbed his hand to check his pulse at his wrist when Chat Noir finally grabbed both of her arms, holding them in place as he sat up, gently pulling the confused boy up with him._ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______“I’m fine, bugaboo. I just don’t think I’m going to be having coffee for a while.” Ladybug made a face at the mention of coffee, her tongue sticking out in disgust._ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______“I hate coffee.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______“Really? My friend does too, she won’t drink anything with caffeine in it and-” His ring and her earrings beeped simultaneously, and Ladybug’s eyes widened in a panic as she realized she had less than two minutes to get to safety before her transformation ran out._ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______“Ladybug? Chat Noir?” The little boy said their names as if he were in a drunken confusion, looking up at Chat Noir with cloudy green eyes as he did so. Ladybug squatted down next to him, her hand held up in a fist bump as she spoke with him._ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______“Hey buddy, what’s your name?” He knocked his tiny fist against hers weakly, a grin on his face as he did so._ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______“Victor.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______“Hi Victor,” Ladybug looked at Chat Noir’s ring, which still had three toes on it. “I have to go now, but Chat Noir is going to help you find your maman. How does that sound?” Marinette looked up at Chat Noir in confirmation, who nodded as the boy excitedly bounced in his lap, his brown hair swaying all over the place as he looked up at the blonde teen in glee._ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______“That sounds awesome! Can you do that cool thing you do with your stick?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______“You mean my baton?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______“Yeah!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______Ladybug smiled at the scene before her before the Miraculous gave her the final warning. She quickly knocked fists with Chat Noir before swinging away towards her house. The last thing that she had seen of them was her partner lifting the little boy in his arms before rocketing into the sky with his staff, the little boy screaming in delight._ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_______She swung past the cafe she had been at, _Espoirs et Rêves _to see if she could spot Nino or Adrien along the way to make sure they were okay. She didn’t come upon any of them, so she’d just have to wait until later to text them in the group chat. She did, however, come upon the memory of Adrien buying her that quiche and hot chocolate. That was so sweet, and Marinette was confused about why he had done it. It wasn’t against their rules, per se, but it was definitely not something that they would normally do. And it was puzzled her. Why would he do something like that? Just because he was nice? Or was there something that she couldn’t see?___ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

_________Marinette landed on her balcony just in time for her transformation to drop, a tired Tikki rubbing her eyes as she laid on Marinette’s shoulder. She would have to worry about the Adrien thing later, for now, it was more important for her to get the ladybug kwami some cookies and to check up on her friends._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____


	5. Promiscuous Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well a hard headed woman  
> And a soft hearted man  
> Been the cause of trouble  
> Ever since the world began."  
> Hard Headed Woman - Elvis Presley

Alya ended up staying in the hospital overnight, along with the other victims of the akuma attack. The Lucky Charm had done its work, reducing the amount of caffeine in their bodies until it was back to normal, and every patient was expected to make a full recovery. Just in case though, they were to be monitored one more night before they would be allowed to check out. Alya hated it. She was just itching to get out of that distilled room; his phone was still blowing up with messages from her complaining about the smell of disinfectant spray and how touchy the nurses were. Nino, however, was glad that she would have to stay in the hospital for the overnight check up; the poor teen was worried sick when he saw her get hit in the cafe, and this was the only thing that seemed to calm him down enough to act normal again. 

In the end, all of his friends were doing just fine. Or at least most of them were. Marinette began to act odd after they met up again in the hospital after the akuma attack. Her body was with them, but her mind was somewhere else entirely. Adrien had an inkling of a feeling that her mood wasn’t due to the physics exam they had taken earlier in the day either. Once again, Adrien was restrained from asking her what the matter was because they weren’t close enough for that intimacy.

_Though you’re close enough to do intimate things with her,_ his mind supplied unhelpfully, images of Marinette in her pale blue bra popping up behind his eyelids, not for the first time that week. She had been fogging over his thoughts like ominous roaming thunder clouds, dangerous yet beautiful in their disastrous ways. These promiscuous thoughts weren’t fair to him. He was _in love_ with Ladybug, for God’s sake! Even if he didn’t know what she looked like without her mask, he had been head over heels for her since day one, and the time that they spent together only made those feelings grow. So why was it fair for either one of them, Adrien, or Ladybug, or Marinette, to have to go through this? Why did it have to be so complicated?

Adrien pulled at his hair in frustration, sitting on his expensive bed as he continued to think about how Marinette had been acting after the Caffeinator was defeated. She was so distant and strange, he almost wished that he would have stayed with her until he was positive that she had found a safe place, but she had gotten separated in the bustling crowd of strangers. If only he had made sure she was safe, she wouldn’t be the way she was. Was she hit? Was she there when Alya was hit? He wasn’t sure, and he also wasn’t sure if he could just ask her. Adrien and Marinette weren’t at that level.

He groaned out of vexation, annoyed with the oncoming headache. It was at that moment that Plagg decided to speak, popping one final slice of camembert in his mouth before he said anything. “What’s wrong with you, kid? Eat something bad?”

Adrien didn’t answer so Plagg continued. “This is why you should eat cheese; just delicious aged cheese,” The kwami’s mouth began to water at the thought of it, his stomach growling in hunger. “It always makes me feel amazing, and then I want more and then-” Adrien really needed to put an end to this tirade or else Plagg would continue on for eternity about his “One true love, cheese” and nobody wants that. 

“I’m not sick Plagg,” Adrien said, sufficiently stopping his friend from his rant about how great cheese was.

“Well, if you’re not sick, than what’s wrong with ya?” 

“I don’t know. What’s wrong with Marinette? She was acting strange today, don’t you think?” The blond haired teen looked up to his kwami for answers, shoulders sagged from the lack of energy and his green eyes dull from his puzzlement. Plagg shrugged in response.

“Who knows? Women are always strange.”

“Well that’s really helpful, Plagg.” He sent the cat kwami a glare, to which Plagg snickered at. “I think something happened during the fight, but I can’t really just go up to her and say, ‘Hey, I noticed you’ve been acting differently, not that I should really notice that, and I wanted to know what happened.’”

“Well, why not? You’ve done that to her as Chat Noir before.”

Adrien nodded his head in agreement, thinking back to the night that had happened. That was probably one of the first times Adrien had ever felt truly connected to Marinette, yet it had to be when he was wearing a mask and putting up a charade. She had tried to hold back but eventually told him everything that had been going on with her, and why she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. In fact, that was the night that Adrien decided to propose their little deal to her, which he did the next day. Their heart to heart created something that Adrien couldn’t quite put his finger on, but that he loved. Marinette seemed to feel more at ease with Chat Noir rather than Adrien, which was strange when you think about the physically passionate moments between the two. Marinette was more willing to tell Chat Noir about her issues, probably because he was someone she didn’t have to worry about getting close to and-

And an idea popped into his head just as he thought about that. Plagg eyed his holder warily as the blonde slowly raised his head. His green eyes glinted with a plan forming, looking at Plagg as he came to a conclusion.

If Marinette was more comfortable telling Chat Noir her problems, then why not give her a visit at the knight in shining leather himself?

Plagg seemed to register where this plan was going as his eyes widened in a feigned terror at the thought. “No. No, no, no, no, no. We are not going to go see your little toy thing-” Adrien glared a Plagg for the degrading nickname as the kwami continued. “-as Chat Noir. Absolutely no way! I just ate and-” Plagg didn’t get to finish his rant as Adrien called out for his transformation. Plagg tried to run away but the ring pulled him in with cries of complaints and threats filled the air.

Black leather covered Adrien skin tightly, pulling taut against the planes of his shoulders and the groves of his muscles, constricting him inside the comforting armor. His sweatpants were replaced with the tight leather melding over his legs, the belt-like tail popping out from behind him. The final piece of the suit was placed, his mask spreading from one side of his face to the other until his outfit was completed. 

Gone was Adrien; now here stood Chat Noir.

“Think the princess is ready for a visit from her knight?”

* * *

Marinette sat on her balcony, her sketchbook nestled in a delicate balance on her knees as she worked on an overall design. There was a competition being held across the schools of Paris where young fashion designers could enter. The top ten contestants in this contest would be considered by Gabriel Agreste himself for the chance of an apprenticeship. So to say that Marinette was worried about her designs was an understatement. They had just under four months to hand in two portfolios displaying their work, as well as three of their favorite designs actually being worn for the catwalk which will be where Gabriel Agreste determines who he wants as his intern, and Marinette was dying to get in.

She has heard plenty of stories from Adrien about how Gabriel was not the best dad, but she has also heard plenty of praises coming from Adrien about how great of a designer his father was. Because if he had one thing he could be proud of his father for, it was his skills in fashion. Marinette briefly wondered why he cared so much about his father’s abilities in the fashion industry, but quickly returned to sketching out the pair of overalls she had envisioned in her mind. 

On the side table next to her was a half eaten plate of lasagna her dad had made for their dinner, which she had taken upstairs to eat so she could finish her homework, which was discarded on the ground without any care. She just couldn’t spare anymore of her brain cells for that class, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to learn anything else (Not like she even learned anything in that class anyway) art and French, hell she was even better in English than she was in science, and that was actually learning a new language!

Tikki sat next to the plate of lasagna with a plate of her own cookies, quietly munching on the sweet treats as she watched Marinette’s pencil brush in rapid strokes against the paper. It had been a rather calm night for the two of them, Marinette finally having time to catch up on her missing homework assignments and actually getting ahead on a few for a class or two. It was a productive night, and Tikki was glad since Marinette had seemed like she really needed a break for a while now. After the akuma yesterday, Tikki had been worried about her holder. Marinette has never had to go through a situation as perilous as that, not until that day. And it wasn’t like she could straight out fight the akuma, not with the knowledge that he was just a small child being controlled by the terrible villain Hawkmoth. It was a stressful and deadly fight, one that no one teenage should have to fight. For the first time since she joined Marinette as Ladybug, Tikki realized that Marinette and Chat Noir were still just teenagers, young to the cruel world that they were thrust into protecting. 

Tikki’s thoughts were interrupted when she caught whiff of another kwami’s presence near her. Plagg. Of course it was him, she could feel the powerful destruction curling violently under an undying love for anything and everything cheese. Not taking the risk, Tikki flew back into Marinette’s bedroom, hiding underneath the pile of pillows on the young girl’s bed.

As though he’s done this several times before, Chat Noir landed on the fence lining Marinette’s balcony, carefully avoiding the litter of pots with plant growing in them as he did so. Precariously balancing on the thin metal railing, Chat Noir watched Marinette with inquisitive eyes as she continued working on her sketch. She didn’t seem to know that he was there, and he was half-tempted to scare the ever living daylights out of her, but whatever it was she was working on looked important, so he was going to wait before he’d announce his presence.

After a minute, however, Chat Noir grew impatient and the moment Marinette raised her pencil to her lips in a motion like she was thinking about something, he decided to reveal his presence to her, jumping off the railing with a loud thud that was unlike his usually silent and stealthy steps. 

Adrien’s mouth twitched in amusement as Marinette let out a high-pitched squeak, jumping off the lawn chair with her arms held up in defense, ready to attack whatever it was on her balcony. Even when she spotted the leather-clad hero standing in front of her, his lips curled in a smirk from his humor, she didn’t lower her arms, instead scowling at him.

“Were you going to hit me, princess? I’m wounded.” Adrien purred, placing a hand over his chest, momentarily wondering how it was easier to flirt with Marinette as Chat Noir while he was still awkward and fumbled around her as Adrien when they made good of their deal. That thought came to an end as he watched Marinette cross her arms over her chest, still glowering at him as she stepped closer to him, walking over the recklessly tossed physics book their class had.

“What are you doing here Chat Noir? Do you need me to help you on another ‘mission’?” She made air quotes around the word “mission” referring to the first time they had interacted as Marinette and Chat Noir, one of Adrien’s personal favorite memories as Chat Noir. He never knew that Marinette could be so bad ass until that day, and it was amazing. Remembering that she had asked him a question, Adrien quickly responded.

“Me-ouch, can’t a hero come check up on his favorite citizen?”

“You aren’t a real hero if you have favorites.” Alright, ouch. Not in the mood for flirting tonight, duly noted. Marinette noticed his hurt expression and sighed, pinching her nose between her thumb and pointer finger, shaking her head lightly. 

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said finally, raising her head so she could look the blond boy in the eye as she apologized. Her shoulders were still tense from what Adrien could tell, and that crease from between her brows was still prominent despite the slow smile that was growing on her lips. “That was a really mean thing for me to say. I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean that Chat Noir.”

Well, Adrien was right about Marinette being off since the akuma attack, if her little snarky outburst was a testament to anything. Though, he’s not gonna lie, he wished that his suspicions were confirmed in a different way that didn’t include Marinette lashing out at him. But he was glad that now he could get to the point with her. Skipping over her previous statement, Chat Noir could finally ask Marinette the question that has been bothering him all day. 

“I saw that a few friends of yours was at the cafe that was attacked, and I know what happened to Alya. Are-” Adrien paused for a moment. Was it really okay for him to cross these boundaries as Chat Noir? Was this a betrayal to Marinette as Adrien? If she says anything to him as Chat Noir, she’s confiding in someone she thinks is a stranger, not someone she sees on a daily basis. Does he have the right to do this, just because he was curious about why she has been acting strange? Adrien had made up his resolve though, as he continued. “Are you okay Marinette? Did something happen or?” He trailed off, leaving the question open-ended for Marinette to finally explain.

He received a shrug in response, an act of nonchalance which didn’t belong in the dramatic atmosphere that the two were currently creating. When he raised a disbelieving eyebrow, Marinette sagged back into her lawn chair, groaning in annoyance. Chat Noir walked closer to her, leaning against the side table. His elbow rested only a few inches away from her plate of half-eaten lasagna, which was cold now but still managed to make the teenaged boy’s stomach rumble quietly. He had forgotten to make dinner, too distracted with his homework and his thoughts about Ladybug and Marinette.

“Are you going to finish-” Marinette pushed the plate into his direction the moment he pointed at the plate. 

“Go ahead and have it. I think I ate too many cookies before dinner tonight.” Not entirely a lie, Tikki did share some cookies with Marinette. She just wasn’t very hungry tonight; Marinette wasn’t sure she could even stomach any food tonight, as it’s been since the day before. She let out a soft giggle as Chat Noir immediately dove into the plate, a quiet moan slipping from his lips as he took the first bite of the lasagna. 

“Oh my god, your parents are the best cooks in the world, I swear.” Adrien complimented, quickly shoveling another forkful of lasagna into his mouth. Hearing Marinette’s delicate snickering, an accomplished grin growing on Adrien’s feature. He had at least made her laugh, and that was a point in the right direction in his opinion.

“My dad would die if he ever heard you say that; he’s a big fan.” Which was strange to Marinette, seeing as she was Ladybug and Chat Noir was her partner, but her father didn’t know that.

“Mm, a smart man,” Chat Noir said with a wink, settling onto his knees as he continued to eat the rest of her dinner. He cannot get distracted, he came here with a specific goal, and he was not going to leave until he has accomplished said goal. “But no more evading the question.”

Marinette’s lips curled into a pout, her pink lips protruding in a manner that if Chat Noir was here as Adrien in the moment, he would not have hesitated in kissing that frown right off her face until those rosy lips were swollen and scarlet. 

“Why do you keep asking? I’m fine; I didn’t get hit by the Caffeinator.”

“But other people did. Things… _happened_ that day that should have never happened.” Adrien said, reaching a hand to placing comfortingly on her shoulder before thinking better of it and resting it on the table instead. “I for one know that it’s better to speak to someone about something after an experience like that.”

Marinette’s gaze wandered over to Chat Noir, momentarily thinking about her partner’s surprisingly wise words. Who did he talk to about his problems and experiences as Chat Noir? His kwami? Marinette usually turned to her own kwami when things became too difficult. Seeing her partner’s concerned look, Marinette weighed the pros and the cons about unloading the weight on her chest onto Chat Noir, and eventually decided that the pros outweighed the cons. 

“I saw two of my best friends get hit by the Caffeinator that day.” Marinette said monotonously, her eyes staring off at the night sky instead of her partner as he suddenly stilled, the fork raised halfway up to his mouth as he looked at her in a mixture of shock and confusion. “I mean, they’re obviously both okay, the Lucky Charm did it’s job and neither one was really affected by it, but…” 

“But it was still a scary experience.” Adrien finished, watching as Marinette nodded her head. He thought about her words. She said she saw two of her best friends get hit. She was back at the cafe when Alya got hit? Scraping as much of the memory that he could, Adrien could not for the life of him remember if he saw Marinette at the cafe again or not. And even if she was there, who was the second person she saw get hit? Chat Noir had tried his best to make sure that there were as few civilian casualties as possible, but he couldn’t protect every one, which was something he was still having a hard time getting past.

“It’s just- one of them I was the reason they got hit. I was careless and desperate and I could have lost someone that means a lot to me and it would have been my fault if they had gotten hurt.” Marinette looked at her partner, reliving the scene over and over again in her head. She shouldn’t have been so careless, especially when it came to the safety of the partner who always had her back, regardless of the danger that was thrown their way. Even if her thoughts had been clouded with the worry of Alya and the other woman who could have been seriously injured, Marinette should have kept a cool and clear head as Ladybug. How could Chat Noir even respect Ladybug anymore after that, or even trust her to protect him like he does for her?

“I wasn’t there,” Adrien started quietly, scraping the tips of the prongs of the fork on the ceramic plate, creating a grating noise that sent shivers down his spine. “But I think- no I definitely know that if there had been any other solution you would have figured it out. Marinette,” Adrien bumped her knee with his, getting her to look up at him for the first time during this conversation. “You are one of the smartest people that I have ever met. Whatever it was that you did was probably the smartest thing that you could do in a situation like that.”

“How do you know? I haven’t even told you anything about what happened.” 

“Like I said before,” Adrien set the fork down on the empty plate, standing up and popping his back as he stretched his arms out. Extending a hand down to her, Adrien helped pull Marinette up and out of her chair as she placed her small and dainty hand in his. “You are one of the smartest people I know, princess. Don’t treat yourself badly just because _you_ think you deserve it.”

The dull grayness that clouded over her bluebell eyes faded away, the sparkle of life that made Marinette Marinette returning for the first time that night. Seeing that, Adrien knew that he had accomplished his goal. “Thank you, Chat Noir.”

“Of course,” Adrien bowed in the overly-extravagant way he did when he was Chat Noir, not releasing her hand as he looked up at her through his thick lashes. “But alas, I must go. The beautiful princess needs some time to sleep, and I will not take up anymore of her precious time.” Adrien said in an exaggerated old english accent. Instead of the light giggles he usually received from her, Chat Noir was rewarded with a hearty laugh, her entire body shaking with the loud chuckles that escaped from her. He dropped the goofy accent, pressing his lips against the cold knuckles of her hand in a chaste kiss as he said goodbye to her once more.

“Goodnight, Chat Noir.” He sent her a two finger salute with that signature grin of his before he launched himself off the balcony, shooting into the night sky. The last Marinette saw of her partner was when he disappeared behind the roof next to her balcony, quickly blending in with the night. Even though she couldn’t see him anymore, Marinette continued to stare off in the direction that the cat-eared boy had gone. There was this weird sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and Marinette couldn’t quite place her finger on what the feeling was until Tikki had called her name from within her room. While Chat Noir was with her, he filled up this hole that seemed to be growing inside her since the day before. It was a terrible feeling. It was numb and cold and it sent painful prickles down the length of her body. 

Now that Chat Noir was gone, she felt lonely. For the first time in, well, since Marinette could remember, she truly felt alone. And she didn’t like that feeling. She had never once felt like she deserved something bad upon herself, not truly anyways, until yesterday when she failed both Chat Noir and Alya. Did they really deserve to have someone like Marinette in their lives? She almost risked their lives, and even with Chat Noir’s wise words, Marinette knew that there could have been, should have been a better way to react in that scenario and she just didn’t think it through. She felt as though she deserved to be alone.

Hearing Tikki call for her once more, Marinette picked up her discarded homework, sketchbook, and the plate that used to hold her unfinished dinner before heading back down into her warm room, escaping the skin-nipping wind 

Maybe Chat Noir was right about one thing. Maybe she shouldn’t treat herself badly just because she felt like she deserved it. She doesn’t have to be lonely, Chat Noir had proven that with his (un)surprisingly good company. So maybe she doesn’t have to be alone, because maybe she had people that would keep her from being lonely.

Without a second thought, Marinette pulled out her phone, quickly pulling up one of the first contacts that showed on the screen. The only time she hesitated was when her finger hovered over the call button. One simple push, and she knew that he would pick up. They had done this several times before, with them both staying up late so often. It wouldn’t be unusual for her to call him out of the blue like this. Nothing out of the ordinary, not for them. Marinette glanced at the time on her phone. 23:27. He would still be awake in all likelihood.

She pressed her finger against the screen. After only two rings, the person on the other end of the line picked up.

“Marinette?”

“I really don’t want to be alone right now.”

Adrien paused and Marinette could hear the rustling what she presumed to be his sheets. For a moment she panicked. Did he actually go to bed early tonight? Did she just wake him up for her own selfish desire, her greedy wants? After what felt like eternity, Adrien finally spoke again.

“How soon can you get here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who are worried about the lack of smut, worry no longer! Your desires will be fulfilled in the next chapter! And what did you guys think about the Marinette and Chat Noir scene? I absolutely loved the interaction between my favorite couple, Marinette and Chat Noir. As always, constructive criticism is always helpful!
> 
> Until next time, peace!


	6. Enticing Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Mr. Sandman  
> Bring me a dream  
> Make her the cutest that I've ever seen  
> Give her two lips like roses and clover  
> And tell her that her lonely nights are over."  
> Mr. Sandman - SYML

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning for those of you who are here for the plot and not the smut, there is some at the end of the chapter. Nothing extremely explicit for now, when that time comes I'll probably up the rating. 
> 
> Anyways, for the rest who are here for the smut, here you go!
> 
> Kudos and comments are always welcome, and as always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!
> 
> Until next time, peace!

How soon Marinette could get to Adrien’s apartment ended up being just a little bit under ten minutes, transforming into Ladybug half the way so that she could get there faster. She buzzed in on the number 312, where the name A. Cappelle was. Cappelle was the fake name that both Adrien and Nathalie had come up with when his father had finally allowed him to move out on his own, under certain conditions of course. This was a way to help prevent the paparazzi from crowding outside Adrien’s apartment building, and to give Adrien the privacy that he wanted. 

Which was useful in times like this.

Within the second that Marinette pressed the button she heard the familiar sound of the door unlocking. She pulled the glass door open before it locked itself again. Stepping into the warm building, Marinette couldn’t help but ogle at the interior design. Adrien’s father was certainly not going to let his son live in some shabby apartment. The lobby of the apartment building was rather extravagant, with rich golds and scarlet dotting along the interior. The walls were a warm creamy color, the crown moulding being an off-white with a hint of gold layering over it, shining and showing the wealthiness of the building. Velvet sectional sofas lined the corner of the right area, dark oak coffee tables in the center with roses of different shades of scarlet being bunched together within a pitch black vase. The floor was marble, a few red and gold rugs here and there to give the sense of comfort. It was a luxurious place, and while she enjoyed the beauty of the building, she liked Adrien’s apartment much more. 

She was in the elevator, which was cream and gold as well, listening to a quiet overture by Bach as she pictured Adrien’s apartment. While the building was extravagant and grandiose, Adrien preferred to take a much more simple approach. With his father’s opinion on everything, Adrien had finally come to an agreement on what he wanted in his living space. He had brought the black couch from his old room at the mansion, lining the space with a bunch of pillows that Nino had gotten him for his birthdays and Christmas. Each pillow was a pun of some sort, but Marinette knew that Adrien’s favorite was the cat pun pillow, as it was always in the front center of the pile. He had a simple wooden coffee table, littered with coasters that were never used and only there to make certain people (Marinette and Nathalie being a few) happy. He had a large TV, also from his old bedroom, and a single floor lamp to help illuminate the area.

His kitchen, which was scarcely used for actual cooking, was simple as well. He had every pot and pan and utensil that one could ever need, all a steel silver and put away neatly. On the marble counters was a coffee machine, a toaster, and a roll of paper towels, that was all. The entire kitchen was of a sleek design, everything from the refrigerator to the oven to the microwave and dishwasher were all a polished steel that matched with the pots and pans Adrien had. That was Marinette’s favorite room of all. On the center of the island, which had four tall black chairs, was a bowl that held miscellaneous fruits for Adrien to snack on. He had a few potted plants here and there, in an attempt to add a bit more liveliness to the apartment. Throughout the apartment anyone could feel that the place was a home, except for in one room.

His bedroom.

The elevator dinged, the doors sliding open so Marinette could step out onto the floor. Walking down the long hallway towards Adrien’s apartment, she thought about his room.

It was a simple area. He had a bed, with expensive black silk sheets and a matching duvet on top of it. With his pillows, a bright white which contrasted sharply with the dark bedding, the rest of Adrien’s room was monochrome. It felt cold, only alive when she and Adrien were in it together, before quickly losing its warmth the moment Adrien would step out. He had a desk on the opposite wall of his bed, also black, with his monitors and computers set up. On the dark pinewood floor was a black and gray checkered rug. They alternated between a large gray square with a smaller black square within, and a large black square with a smaller gray one within. Other than that, Adrien’s bedroom really didn’t have much to describe Adrien, which was strange when you compared that to the rest of the apartment.

Marinette didn’t have much time to contemplate this as she stopped at the door that read 312. Raising her hand to knock on the door, Marinette was startled when the door swung open, a concerned Adrien grabbing her hand and pulling her inside his apartment, closing the door behind him. She placed her purse on the console table next to the door inside his apartment as he pulled her in.

“Are you okay Marinette? You sounded really upset over the phone. What happened? Did-” Adrien’s worry was silenced as Marinette covered his mouth with her own, curling her thin fingers into his messy blond hair. Pushing him against the wall, Marinette continued her attack on his lips, frantically sliding her mouth against his in an attempt to forget the reason she called him in the first place. Adrien complied automatically, pressing himself against her to match her fervor. He hooked his hands around her thighs, just underneath her bottom, before hoisting her up into the air. He took a step forward as Marinette’s legs fastened around his slim waist, pulling their hips closer together.

Adrien groaned at the sudden rough contact, rolling his hips back against hers as a reflex, pulling his head away to take a deep breath. When Marinette began to move closer to him again, Adrien tilted his chin up in an attempt to block her. She ignored the movement, moving to press light kisses against his jugular. Marinette could feel the racing of his heart beneath her soft lips, the rapid pulsing letting her know just how excited Adrien was getting.

“Marinette-” His voice cracked as she scraped her dull teeth across the vein. “What was,” Adrien released another groan as Marinette gyrated her hips against his once again. 

“What was wrong?” He finally managed to spit out, a wave of disappointment and relief crashing onto him as Marinette stopped her onslaught of sultry moves. Looking down at her, Adrien realized the frigid stillness that Marinette’s body had succumbed itself to, her grip around his neck just a bit too tight for him to pass off her reaction. 

“I don’t want to be alone,” Marinette repeated what she had said to him over the phone. Her tone had a sharp edge to it, a signal that she didn’t want to talk about it anymore and did Adrien really have any right to push on? He already got so much information out of her as Chat Noir, is it okay for him to continue to pester her even more? Adrien didn’t think so, and he definitely didn’t want to press her so much that she would just seal up like a clam to him forever. Adrien quickly learned to pick which battles he wanted to fight and which ones had too much for him to lose, and he had decided that this was a battle with too much to lose. The fact that Marinette was comfortable and trusted him enough to do the things that they do was enough for him.

 _For now,_ his brain challenged him. 

Marinette pressed a long, slow kiss along the underside of his jaw. She revelled in the unfamiliar feeling of Adrien’s stubble (He was usually so good at making sure he was shaved before anyone would see him, he was supposed to retain that youthful look and he liked to have a freshly-shaven face). Marinette slowly trailed her lips along his jaw, gradually making her way over to his burning ear.

How was it that Marinette could always turn the tables? Adrien knew the answer of course; Marinette was his enticing desire. That much was proven as her warm breath fanned over the shell of his ear, her voice quiet and seductive. “Are we just going to stand here, Adrien? Or are we going to take this to the bed?”

Adrien’s breathing halted and he could feel his heart stuttering at the words. To top it off, Marinette’s teeth ensnared the lobe of his ear, lightly tugging it down. A pitched tent appeared in the cotton material of Adrien’s sweatpants, making Marinette grin in victory. If Adrien couldn’t help Marinette by talking to her, then hell if he won’t help her in the one way he knew how. 

Adrien flipped them so that Marinette was the one pressed up against the wall, her back colliding with the plaster hard enough to make the picture frame of Adrien and Nino shake on its hook. Marinette’s grip on his waist tightened, guiding him closer to her until there was no longer any space between them. He moved his right hand up, gripping her thick rear to hold her up as the other hand was free to wander. Their mouths messily collided, teeth clacking painfully in their rapturous lust for each other; their blunt teeth scraped carelessly across each other’s lips.

Adrien pushed them off the wall, stumbling back a few steps as his left hand returned to Marinette’s ass. Fumbling his way down the dark hallway, Adrien shuffled his way inside his room, praying to God that Plagg already knew what was happening and had gone to the kitchen or wherever it is he goes when Marinette was at the apartment. 

The kwami seemed to have fled, and Adrien kicked the door shut behind him, momentarily distracted as he felt Marinette’s mouth drag down to his collarbone. Quickly recollecting his thoughts, Adrien took a faltering step which resulted in the two crashing on top of his disheveled bed. Marinette broke away from Adrien in a fit of laughter, a strange but pleasant sight after the rough demeanor the two had created, as well as the seriousness from Marinette’s answer from earlier. It was definitely appreciated, however, making the tense, arduous air clear into a lighthearted and convivial ardor. 

Maybe it was the fact that it was a little past midnight already, and Adrien hasn’t had a good night sleep since the last time Marinette had come over (even though it was difficult to sleep with his hard problem, but that’s besides the point). Maybe it was just because Adrien needed something jovial at the moment after all the deliberate conversations and thoughts he had been having since he and Marinette started this deal. For whichever reason it was, Adrien burst into a humorous laughter as well, his arm curling over his stomach as Marinette leaned her head against his shoulder, gripping his arm as she succumbed to her giggles.

It took a few minutes, but eventually their laughs died down, as did the lower half of Adrien. He didn’t have to think about that for long though, as he rolled over on top of Marinette. Pinned underneath him, her dark hair fanned out around her. Her usually porcelain-colored skin was now flushed a tender pink from her fit of laughter, her chest rising and falling at uneven paces as she tried to regain her breath. As her bluebell eyes glittered in humor, Adrien couldn’t help but think about how beautiful she looked at the moment. Even with her raven locks being a tangled and snarled mess against his bed, the dark bags under her eyes, and the constant stress the two had been under for a while now, she still looked absolutely and truly alluring to him. And he had no idea why.

“Adrien?” Seeing Marinette like this, a beautiful mess beneath him thanks to him, Adrien was overcome by a crushing hunger for her. To satiate his rapidly growing desire Adrien pressed his lips against hers with a bruising force, fingers grazing down the sides of her exposed ribs, dipping into every divit and rising over every bump as he worked his way down to the loops of her jeans. He felt the stutter in Marinette’s breathing and paused, his hands stilling against her hips as he looked down into her eyes.

He searched for any hesitation, any sign that he needed to stop, but she didn't give him any. In fact, she nodded her head in confirmation. When Adrien’s hands refused to move, hers came down to rest on top of them. Lifting her hips, she helped guide Adrien, moving their hands to pull down the buttoned up jeans. The denim scratched against her skin, but Marinette paid no mind as she focused solely on Adrien. His emerald eyes seemed to shine out in the darkness, the one definite part of him that she could see. She had always loved those eyes, Marinette could stare at them for hours as they changed from the dark, forest green to the bright shamrock color that always seemed to stare right into her soul. Slowly, the jeans were brought down to her knees where they loosened enough for her to slip them off the rest of her legs with ease, kicking off the pair of flats she was wearing. Adrien’s breath hitched as he caught a glimpse of the pair of panties Marinette was wearing. They were pure and innocent-looking, a pure white on a delicate fabric that Adrien couldn’t remember the name of. The only color on the undergarment was the bright pink of the small bow at the center. It was so Marinette, and that only made Adrien find it that much more arousing on her. 

This was a first for him. He had seen Marinette topless before, even braless, but he had never seen her like this. Marinette looked embarrassed by this as well, but she made no move to cover herself, instead reaching up to grab Adrien around the neck and pull him down to meet her lips. This kiss was sensuous and slow, different from the other passion-filled kisses the two had shared only minutes before. 

Adrien couldn’t help but think about the irony of their situation. Here Marinette was, no pants on and yet she was the one leading Adrien, who was as stiff as a tree. Why was he more scared than Marinette? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t he be the one comforting her and telling her that it was okay? It didn’t matter to him as long as Marinette was relaxed, everything was okay to him. 

Adrien could feel the soft fleece of her oversized sweater against the scruffiness of his jaw, the purple fabric rubbing against his skin as she placed her slender hand on his cheek. The gesture was soothing, as well as allowed her to place her lips more firmly against Adrien’s, deepening their kiss. Adrien brushed his knuckles over her bare stomach, sending shivers down her spine. Pushing himself away, Adrien made quick work of the plain t-shirt he was wearing, throwing it somewhere else in the room before returning to Marinette’s swollen lips. Her nails gently raked down the skin of his back, not quite hard enough to leave behind scores of red, but enough for him to feel her presence there. One hand curved from his back over to his shoulder, tugging herself into a closer proximity to him. With their chests flushed to one another, Adrien could practically feel the erratic tremors of Marinette’s heart, and when he went to kiss the sensitive skin of her neck, he could feel her racing pulse.

He travelled lower and lower down her throat until he came to the barrier that was Marinette’s sweater. Sitting up, Marinette pulled the sweater over head, haplessly tossing it over the side of the bed. Even though the sight was nothing new to Adrien, he couldn’t help but pause as he marvelled at the beauty that was Marinette. Even sitting here in front of him, topless with a lacy black bra being the only thing that covered her small breasts, Adrien could only imagine her as the innocent and kind girl that had giggled after an umbrella had collapsed over her head. Could he really take something so precious from Marinette? From himself for that matter?

No, he decided. Not tonight, not when he wasn’t sure how he felt, or how Marinette felt for that matter. 

He wouldn’t leave her empty-handed however, she told him that she didn’t want to be alone so he wouldn’t let her. So he descended onto his bed with her again, his hands gently cupping over her dark brassiere as his mouth returned to her neck where she quietly moaned at the long-awaited touch. Her long legs threaded around his hips, tugging him in closer to her until his hardness was pressed tightly against her softness, creating a sense of pleasure for the both of them. The sensation gave Adrien an idea.

Marinette groaned in annoyance as he pulled away from her again, but was quickly rewarded as Adrien hastily hooked his thumbs around the band of his sweatpants, yanking them down in a rush before kicking them away. Now, the both of them were only in their undergarments. Marinette silently took in the sight of Adrien. It was no exaggeration to say that the young model looked as though he had been hand sculpted by God himself, like the big man upstairs had taken special consideration towards the blond man before her. Marinette hadn’t realized just how rigorous that fencing schedule of Adrien’s was as she admired his accentuated biceps and pectorals, as well as the defined abs. Adrien’s hips had that sexy v-line, curving downwards until they disappeared into the band of his underwear. His happy trail was as pale as his hair, leading down until it disappeared as well. All this was perfect on him, but Marinette had a certain spot that she loved the most. 

His back.

She never knew until she and Adrien had started their little deal how much she loved the sight of his muscular back. Even when she was dating Luka, Marinette had never quite had that blood-pumping, lust-creating feeling she has when seeing Adrien shirtless and rolling his shoulders. She had the pleasure of once seeing Adrien doing pull-ups inside the apartment when he was waiting for her to arrive. Suffice to say, that was a heated couple of hours between the two.

Adrien took the lead now, his hands grabbing her thick thighs as he rutted his hips to against hers, the blissful gratification becoming even more prominent now that they were only separated by two thin layers of cloth. Marinette could feel the throbbing heat that radiated off of Adrien as he rolled his hips to create more rubbing friction between the two of them. Marinette released a squeaky moan of delight, encouraging Adrien to go faster, harder. He obliged, gripping her hips in his slender, strong hands. Shifting her until her hips were raised above the mattress of his bed, Adrien moved them into a more comfortable position.

All too soon, the duo were overcome with their feverish desire, becoming lost in the haze of lust and pleasure. Adrien’s rockhard groin grinded against Marinette and he could feel her wetness through the cloth barriers that were their underwear. 

Their lips messily attached to one another, teeth bumping as Adrien’s erratic rhythm drove them both closer towards the edge, only seconds away from spilling over to their anticipated climax. Adrien withheld the need to shudder as Marinette’s nails scraped across the burning, golden skin of his back. They had figured out together close to the beginning of the deal that Adrien was a bit of a masochist, but Marinette had no complaints. 

Marinette felt this coil in her stomach begin to tighten, heat flushing up from her chest to her neck as she buried her face into the sweaty junction between Adrien’s neck and shoulder as she released a breath-quivering moan, her hot breath fanning across Adrien’s sweaty skin, making him shiver from the coolness. He pressed his scorching temple against the cold silk sheets as he increased his speed. He could feel Marinette’s legs trembling around his waist, as she slowly began to recover from her climax. Although tired, Marinette didn’t hesitate to help Adrien reach his destination.

“How much longer can you hold out, Adrien?” Marinette taunted breathily into his ear, her teeth latching onto the lobe of his ear, lightly biting the skin before continuing her taunts. “Aren’t you ready to cum?”

At her almost scandalous words, Adrien felt himself fastly tumble over the sharp edge of ecstasy as his abdomen tightened almost painfully. His hips jutted once, twice, three times before Adrien felt all his strength sap out of him, leaving behind a shaking, sweaty, mess of a boy. Trying to not place all his weight on Marinette, Adrien weakly swivelled over to her side, his arms giving out as soon as she was not in danger of him landing on her. Now that the fervor of their passion was gone, Marinette and Adrien could feel the cool breeze that fluttered throughout the room from the ceiling fan that was whirling above them. Marinette reached for her abandoned sweater, slipping it on as Adrien staggered over to switch off the fan. 

On his way back to his bed, Adrien noticed Marinette tugging her superfluously tight skinny jeans back on, a hand grasping his headboard to steady herself as she pulled them up to her waist.

“Are you leaving already?” 

Maybe it was her imagination- _probably,_ her conscience supplied unhelpfully- but Marinette thought that she had heard disappointment laced within the sincerity of his voice. It was because of this possible disappointment that Marinette momentarily paused her struggle with her jeans, sparing a glance at the blond boy that was stopped in front of the door, her only exit.

“I-uh-” For the first time in a long time, Marinette stammered in front of Adrien. She didn’t know what she was supposed to say. What does one do in a situation like theirs? So Marinette said the first thing that popped into her head. “Rule number five!”

The words blurted out of her mouth, and if she had thought about it for a second longer she would have realized that she didn’t want to say that. It was too late though, and Marinette watched as confusion settled over Adrien’s handsome features, his green eyes growing murky before the answer dawned on him.

“Rule number five,” Adrien muttered under his breath, “Absolutely no spending the night.” He had forgotten how important that rule was to Marinette. Uncomfortably scratching the nape of his neck, Adrien meekly looked back up at Marinette. The expression that she wore was indecipherable, as it always seemed to be. Adrien was never good at reading expressions, rather he was good at reading gestures and words. Expressions were where he fell flat, yet Marinette could expertly see through any wall that anybody put up. 

“It’s just- It’s getting late, and we have school in the morning.” Marinette’s words faltered off the tip of her tongue, her voice dropping low. “I should get going.”

Adrien nodded, watching as Marinette searched the room for her shoes. When she finally had them on, Adrien led her to the apartment door wordlessly, stopping as she grabbed her purse. 

“Let me walk you home-”

“I’m okay, Adrien.” Marinette internally winced at the sharpness of her words. She didn’t know where that came from; however, Adrien assumed that it was due to him asking her to stay a bit longer. 

The sharpness in her voice softened, her blue eyes lighting up in a gentle kindness as she rose to the tips of her toes and placed a quick kiss on his lips to make up for it. Adrien leaned down for another, feeling Marinette’s lips curl into a grin. “I’ll text you when I get home, how does that sound?”

Adrien nodded silently once again, a smile on his face as he pressed his lips against hers once more, lacing his fingers through hers in a futile attempt to make her stay for just a few minutes longer, to not leave just yet. She squeezed his hand within hers, placing her forehead against his before forcing herself to pull away. Adrien reluctantly let her slim fingers unthread from his. With one last blinding smile, Marinette said good night, walking away down to the elevator. He stood at his door, waiting until she was safely inside the elevator before returning to his room. 

Once Marinette was away from Adrien’s peering eyes, she clutched the strap of her purse tightly, jolting Tikki who had returned to the bag when she saw Marinette walking out of Adrien’s bedroom.

“Marinette? Are you okay?”

The teenage girl didn’t answer, looking straight ahead as she waited for the doors to open in the lobby. Where her hand was clenched, over her heart which ached, Marinette could feel the rapid beating of the organ, leaving an embedded soreness in her chest that she wasn’t quite sure she could get rid of.


	7. The Line Between Right and Wrong is Very Thin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There was a time when I was alone  
> Nowhere to go and no place to call home.  
> My only friend was the man in the moon  
> And even sometimes he would go away too."  
> Lost Boy - Ruth B

A week had passed, and Adrien’s final day of school before the fall break was here. However, he really wanted to sleep in after staying up so late studying for his Advanced Bio-Chemistry midterm coming up.

It turned out that luck wasn’t really on his side, however, when at 7:45 sharp, Adrien received a text message from Nathalie.

_From Nat:_

_Your father wishes to see you tonight for dinner at 19:00. I hope to see you there. Also, their will be a photo shoot in the park for your father’s new winter line at 14:00. I have already called you out of school._

_P.S. You have to tell me how school is going for you ;)_

The hardness that had settled in Adrien’s chest dissipated as he read the little message that Nathalie had left for him at the end, including a little winky face. It had taken him months before he could even convince her to send him at least one emoji, and after she finally did she couldn’t stop. He absolutely loved it. It was one of the small things that could turn a bad day into a good day for him. Today was no different, even if he had been woken up a half an hour earlier than he had wanted to.

Now that he was awake, Adrien forced himself to get out of bed as quietly as he could, all too aware of the sleeping Plagg on a pillow next to him. Once he was sure that he hadn’t stirred Plagg in the least bit, Adrien grabbed some clothes and a towel before heading over to shower and get his day started. If he moved quick enough, he could probably get another ten or so minutes to study for his Chinese exam later this week. 

Of course, it was when he was in the shower that Adrien began to overthink what happened the night before. Or rather, only a few hours earlier. They had five simple rules for their little deal. If he closed his eyes and focused, Adrien could still picture the swirly handwriting of Marinette’s, the glittery pink ink bleeding across the page as she wrote out the rules that both of them had come up with and agreed on.

Rule 1: No one can know (Especially not Chloé!)

Rule 2: Pursuing respective crushes is okay.

Rule 3: Nothing in public. (Kissing, Hand-Holding, etc.)

Rule 4: No visible marks. (Especially Adrien.)

Rule 5: Absolutely NO spending the night!

Adrien never really understood why Rule 5 was so important to Marinette. He had no problem with her staying the night- he had never really had sleepovers before Nino- but she really seemed to oppose the idea. And if that was the case, then he wasn’t going to push it on her. Although he didn’t know exactly what his feelings for her were, or how she fit in with the whole him still being in love with Ladybug scenario, Adrien still wanted to be around Marinette, regardless of their deal. He knew there was something between them, perhaps there always had been something between them, but until he could figure out exactly what it was, Adrien was not going to act on it. 

Convincing himself to stop thinking about Marinette, Adrien stepped out of his shower, quickly getting ready for the school day. 

“Ughhh, are you going to be making breakfast soon?” Plagg groaned from behind him. Adrien jumped at the sudden appearance of the kwami, his hand knocking over the cup that held his toothbrush. The cup hit the ground with a loud clang and Adrien glared at the kwami who began laughing hysterically. 

“Not anymore.”

That shut Plagg up.

~~~~~

It was when Adrien and Nino were discussing the grades they got on their physics test (Nino got his expected C, Adrien his A) that the idea popped in Adrien’s head. It was just an innocent side comment that Nino had, claiming that Adrien would be an insanely good tutor and how much money he could make off it. Not that he needed money, by any means. Adrien humored Nino’s idea before ultimately forgetting about it as Alya asked them where they wanted to go for lunch that day. They waited until Marinette came out of Professor Mendeliev’s classroom to make their decision.

He didn’t think about it again until they were walking to Marinette’s parents’ bakery. Nino and him were walking behind the girls, talking about the release of Ultimate Mecha Strike IV, when he overheard Alya asking Marinette what Professor Mendeliev had wanted.

“She gave me a list of tutors…” Marinette murmured quietly. Adrien could picture the pink flush that bloomed on Marinette’s cheeks. It was an unusually cold for October, Nathalie had mentioned something about a cold front heading in. Either way, it was cold enough for Adrien to be able to see Marinette’s breath dance as she spoke to the short-haired girl next to her. “The grade I got on our exam brought my class average down until it was barely above passing. She told me that if I can’t get a 14 or higher on the next exam, I won’t be able to pass the class.”

“Girl,” Adrien watched as Alya intertwined her fingers with Marinette’s, squeezing her hand reassuringly. “Why didn’t you tell me how bad your grades were getting? We could have studied more or something.”

“I’ve just been, y’know, busy. I didn’t think it was _that_ bad.” _Liar,_ Adrien thought as he saw Alya nod in agreement. The brunette muttered something along the lines of “You do have goldfish memory some days,” but he didn’t hear her clearly enough to be sure. He knew Marinette knew her grades were that bad, but she refused to get any help because she was a “big girl” and could “get stuff done”.

Adrien focused in on their conversation again once he heard Alya start to speak up again. 

“Well who are you going to pick as your tutor?”

“I don’t know any of these people, and I don’t really want a tutor.” Marinette shrugged her bundled up shoulders.

“But you need a tutor?...”

“It’s just,” Marinette sighed, “I hate it when they make me feel stupid. They always do, and I can just tell that they are already looking down on me. I don’t need that.”

The girls continued to talk about the subject, but Adrien didn’t get to hear much more of it as Nino’s sharp elbow dug painfully into his ribcage. With Adrien’s attention back on him, Nino’s brown lips curled into a taunting smirk. It was almost scary how alike the glimmer in Nino’s hazel eyes were to Alya’s whenever she got a scoop on a new story. Adrien looked away from Nino’s teasing stare, opting to watch the cloudy skies above him. 

Nino elbowed him again and this time Adrien glared back at him.

“Stop,” Adrien whined, pushing his friend’s arm away from him as he went for another jab. Nino grabbed Adrien’s forearm and stopped walking, letting the girls get a few more feet ahead of them before walking again.

“Dude, I know you were totally listening in on their convo-” 

“I was not!”

Nino paused and gave the blond a look of disbelief before continuing. “-so why aren’t you taking the opportunity?”

“What opportunity?” Nino threw his hands in the air in exasperation. He gestured wildly between Marinette and Adrien, his face reddening in annoyance. 

“Dude!” Nino nearly shouted. The girls looked back at them, but kept walking when Nino waved them off. They continued to throw back curious glances but kept the distance between the two groups. “You know Marinette needs a tutor, a science tutor. Who’s the best science student in all of the school?”

“Max?”

“No!” Nino sighed, rubbing his temple in a failing attempt at keeping his migraine away. This boy before him was becoming too dense for him to handle. “ _You_ are! So offer to be her tutor. Trust me, I’ve seen the way you’ve been gawking at her.”

“I have not been _gawking_.” Adrien said defensively, crossing his arms over his chest. Sure, maybe there were a few times that Adrien stared at Marinette, the erotic memories he had of her taking over his mind. But he wouldn’t call that “gawking”. Simply admiring the arts, that is all.

However, if Adrien did become Marinette’s tutor maybe this would be the way that he could expand their friendship. It was also an opportunity to escape from a few of the activities that his father still made him do. And maybe he would be able to figure out what that fluttering emotion in his chest was, and where it may lead them both.

He can’t believe he’s saying this, but maybe Nino was right. Maybe he should offer to be Marinette’s tutor?

“I’ll think about it.”

~~~~~

They finally arrived at the Dupain-Cheng’s bakery and Adrien welcomed the strong aroma of freshly baked bread, as well as the sweetly tart smell of raspberry sauce. The teens shed their winter accessories as Marinette’s parents greeted them with a warm smile. Nino and Alya followed Marinette upstairs to the kitchen when her dad pulled Adrien off to the side with a boisterous laugh.

“Adrien, my boy!” Tom said, shaking the boy to and fro. Ever since Adrien and Marinette started their little deal, he’s been hanging out at the Dupain-Cheng’s house more often. The two men grew a strong bond over losing to Marinette in almost every video game. Adrien’s love for Tom’s food also helped, and now the older man had him taste test his new experiments. Which is exactly what he was doing now.

With one of his large arms around the blond’s slender shoulders, Tom led him to the counter where he found several attempts of religieuse. The chocolate choux pastries were coated in the raspberry sauce that Adrien had smelled and shone a brilliant red, shiny like a mirrored glaze. At the top of each religieuse was a single raspberry, which leaned upon an expertly curled chocolate shaving. Adrien’s mouth was already watering at the sight of the dessert.

“I tried to create a chocolate choux recipe, and I’m not quite sure how it turned out. This here is going to be our ‘Religieuse au Chocolat Framboise’ that we are going to start selling in December after your father’s show.”

Adrien had almost forgotten that his father had hired the Dupain-Chengs to cater the event. He was glad that Tom and Sabine were chosen to bake the sweets, considering how huge the winter show was in all of Paris- scratch that- in all of the fashion world.

He picked up one of the religieuse, staring at the stacked choux pastries in hunger. 

“I can already tell you that these look amazing.” Adrien complimented before he couldn’t restrain himself anymore. He bit into the dessert and an explosion of tart raspberry bursted over his taste buds, quickly followed by the smoothness of the chocolate pastry. The sweet was delicious, just like the rest of their desserts, but this one was definitely working its way up to the top of Adrien’s favorites list. Adrien was surprised to see that the crème filling inside was raspberry as well, instead of the usual chocolate or mocha. It was unique, but went well with the dessert itself. Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng were truly culinary geniuses.

“These are amazing, Mr. Dupain-Cheng!” Adrien exclaimed, turning to the older man. Tom’s large hand clapped on Adrien’s back, smiling back just as enthusiastically.

“In that case,” Tom slid the plate of religieuse towards Adrien. “Why don’t you go ahead and take these upstairs and share with the others?”

“After you finish your lunch.” Tom added as a second thought when the boy began to head up to the dining room where Sabine and his group of friends were. Adrien replied with a “Yessir.” before reuniting with the others.

~~~~~

Adrien had to leave the bakery earlier than the rest of his friends so he could make it to the photoshoot on time. By the time the session had ended it was near the time Nathalie said his father wanted to have dinner.

So that was where he was.

Sitting in the uncomfortable dining chair, Adrien rested his chin on his fist as he stared at the empty seat on the other side of the table. If his father had been so adamant on having these weekly dinners, couldn’t he at least show up? Below him his food was getting cold. Glancing over to the clock, Adrien saw that the hands read 19:30. He was thirty minutes late. 

As if sensing his disappointment, Nathalie cleared her throat.

“I’m really sorry, Adrien. It seems that your father has gotten caught up in a few things. I’m sure that he’ll join us when he is able to.” Even Adrien could tell that Nathalie was lying through her teeth to cheer him up. He knew his father wasn’t going to be joining them at all tonight. But Adrien smiled anyway, looking at Nathalie as she sat next to him, actually planning on eating dinner instead of just standing by. 

“Oh!” Nathalie said suddenly. “I almost forgot, how has school been going for you?”

Adrien pushed the raisins out of the broccoli salad, which was his meal. Ever since he became Chat Noir certain foods repelled him, such as grapes, garlic, and onions. There were more, but those were the most prominent ones. Plagg told him that with the cat-like tendencies (Adrien wouldn’t admit it, but Ladybug has made him chase a laser dot more than once) also came with a cat-like palate. And since grapes were deadly to cats, they made Adrien feel disgusted and sick.

Nathalie watched silently as the dried up grapes were pushed to the side of his plate, patiently waiting for an answer.

“It’s been pretty good. I still have all A’s and I aced that physics exam last week.” Adrien said once he was positive every raisin was out of his salad. Scraping them off his plate and onto Nathalie’s, he continued. “I think I might become a tutor for somebody.”

“Really? Who?” Nathalie asked. She mixed the raisins that Adrien placed onto her plate with the rest of the salad. Adrien had never really been a picky boy, always eating what was in front of him. It wasn’t until recently he started to refuse certain foods. Nathalie would have to check up on that, maybe try to get the chefs to quit using them.

“Marinette.” Nathalie paused, glancing at Adrien. 

“Oh _really_?” The pitch of Nathalie’s voice rose the same way Nino’s did whenever he was about to tease Adrien about Marinette. As if it were his sixth sense, Adrien stopped eating and braced himself for whatever it was Nathalie was going to tease him about.

“Yes, _really_.” Adrien repeated, mocking the assistant, challenging her to say more about it.

“Is this, perhaps, the same Marinette that is always at your apartment, and vice versa?”

“Yes.”

“The pretty, intelligent girl whose hat design you wore?”

“...Yes?” Adrien wasn’t sure where this was going. Nathalie obviously remembered who Marinette was, it wasn’t like he didn’t talk about her often like he talked about his other friends.

“About time you asked her out.” Nathalie smirked, spearing a piece of broccoli and a raisin with her fork and eating it. Adrien’s jaw dropped in offense as Nathalie continued eating her dinner.

“Excuse me, but I didn’t ‘ask’ her out. I’m just going to be her tutor, that’s all. And that’s if she even says yes.” Adrien’s guilty conscience drifted to the little deal between Marinette and him. He pushed the thought to the back of his head when Nathalie raised her hands in submission, her teasing smirk still painted on her lips.

“Okay” 

It was quiet, a nice quiet, for a few minutes as they ate their dinner.

“So that akuma attack last week. Were you near it?” Adrien nearly choked on the broccoli he was eating. Coughing to cover it up, Adrien shoveled another forkful of his dinner into his mouth before he answered.

“No, no I was far away.” He lied, the fib rolling off his tongue easily before shoveling another chunk of vegetables into his mouth before he could slip up. Seeing her frown, Adrien swallowed the food and sent a genuine, small smile. “I’m alright Nathalie, I promise. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“... Okay.” Nathalie says, taking the final bite of her dinner. Adrien hadn’t realized how quickly time had gone by. Sure enough, his broccoli salad was all gone as well. But he didn’t want to leave quite yet. This was the first time he had seen Nathalie in a while, since she had been away on a business assignment last week when he came over, and he still wanted a while longer to catch up with her.

Before she could set her empty dishes on the cart for the paid staff to clean, Adrien snatched up the china and cutlery, stacking them on his and standing out of his chair. Seeing Nathalie’s look of confusion, Adrien explained what he was doing. 

“Let’s do the dishes. It makes no sense to let the kitchen staff do it when there is so little to be done.” 

Adrien wasn’t sure if Nathalie had agreed because she thought it was a plausible excuse, or because she could read between the lines and see that Adrien wanted a little more time with her. He didn’t really care; all that mattered to him was that she was standing next to him as she washed the dishes and he dried them.

The sink was filled almost to the brim with steamy water and bubbles that smelled like the lavender dish soap they found. He had also found two towels. One he used for wiping the excess water off the dishes, and the second he used to lay out the fine china. Nathalie didn’t say much, allowing Adrien time to think as she lowly hummed to herself an old lullaby. He found the old song ironic. Marinette had been whistling it when he came over the day before. She had timed the needle poking through the fabric to every high pitched whistle, and of course Adrien couldn’t help but smile at the congenial scene laid out before him.

Now that he thought about it, Ladybug had been whistling the tune a few days after the Caffeinator event happened. They had been on patrol, and since it was a rather calm night, the duo sat with their legs dangling over the edge of the Eiffel Tower. He was mindlessly twirling his staff in the air and she let loose her yo-yo before pulling it back up into the palm of her hand. It was a much needed (and deserved) relaxing night for the two superheroes. When Chat Noir had caught wind of the yo-yo that was bouncing up and down, he immediately stilled his baton as his eyes zeroed in on the spinning, black-spotted weapon. He followed its movements and it wasn’t until his partner giggled did he realize that he began to paw at it, having it snatched away whenever he got close to it.

When he looked at her, the golden lights of the Eiffel Tower shining behind her like a halo, Chat Noir caught one of the most beautiful, rare images of her. Her black, silky strands were pulled back into their signature pigtails, but some got loose of their ties and wispily blew around, some covering her cheeks, which were reddened from the cold wind. Her bluebell eyes literally sparkled from the glittering lights that surrounded them, but what struck Chat Noir most of all was her smile. With their line of work, it’s no surprise that Ladybug rarely gives out those genuine smiles. Their job was dangerous, and you had to try to be numb to the damage and destruction that was caused. But sitting up there alone, no worries in the air, she was able to show him that gorgeous, radiant beam. It was that smile which confirmed to him that his love for her was real.

And then his guilty conscience struck again. It wasn’t right that he and Marinette do what they do, was it? Was it fair to both of them? This wasn’t the first time that that question came up, and Adrien was certain it wouldn’t be the last. 

He grabbed the plate that Nathalie held out for him to dry. Why couldn’t he ask Nathalie? He probably (most definitely) trusted her more than he trusted his father. And he was like, eighty percent certain she wouldn’t tell anybody or make fun of him. 

“Nathalie…” Adrien paused when he caught her attention, trying to figure out the right way to word his question. “How can you define what’s right and wrong when the line is so blurred?”

Nathalie hummed as she pondered his question. She knew he had some prompting for this question, but she wasn’t going to push him for an answer. Instead, she would, to the best of her ability, give him an honest and good answer.

“I think,” She handed him the silverware she cleaned. Unplugging the drain, Nathalie leaned on the counter as she looked at him. “I think that the line between right and wrong is very thin. But it ultimately comes down to the reasons. Do you do it to benefit yourself? Or to benefit others?”

Thinking about it, Adrien had already known that he was doing his part in their deal in order to benefit himself. But he also knew that he was helping Marinette. Something in her had changed after she broke up with Luka, but when Adrien was with her, kissing her, making her moan out his name, he could see the old Marinette. So yes, he was being selfish in the fact that he did this because he wanted to, and knew, that he could bring back Marinette if only for a few minutes. But Marinette is also being benefitted, and that was why he wasn’t going to be the one that breaks their deal. That was up to Marinette.

Looking at her, Adrien was reminded of his mother. It was a strange thought, considering that Nathalie looked nothing like his late mother, but the love and tenderness she held in her blue eyes whenever she looked at him was identical to the look his mother gave him. Honestly, if he didn’t have Nathalie in his life, Adrien would have died long ago; just a soulless body that his father could control and keep locked up forever.

Feeling better, Adrien smacked a grateful kiss on Nathalie’s cheek.

“What was that for?” If Adrien didn’t know better, he would say that the normally stoic Nathalie was blushing. 

“Just, I’m really glad that I have you in my life, Nathalie.” Nathalie’s small smile wasn’t beaming, that wasn’t like her. It was more of a ghost, a valuable rarity; her smile was a memory that Adrien always cherished on the few occasions he was able to see it.

“I’m really glad to have you in my life as well, Adrien.”

An unfamiliar warm feeling spread throughout his body, (Adrien would later realize that that feeling was familial love) but their tender moment was ruined as a two-toned beep sounded out of his phone. It was a text message from Nino.

_From: Ninbro_

_I need help._


	8. Play Fighting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I don't steal, and I don't lie,  
> But I can feel, and I can cry,  
> A fact I'll bet you never knew.  
> But to cry in front of you,  
> that's the worst thing I could do."  
> There are Worse Things I Could Do - Stockard Channing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It's been a while, but that is to be expected since college is coming up right around the corner. I've been writing this chapter for a while now, so I hope that this is what you guys were all hoping for! Let me know what you think in the comments below, thanks!

Adrien was surprised he hadn’t broken the ceramic plate he was drying when he read the text. With a quick hug and short explanation, Adrien had rushed out of his father’s mansion over to Nino’s house. He entered the garage passcode, a separate building from Nino’s house, and was greeted with an unexpected sight.

Nino stood in the center of the garage-made-hang-out-room, wide hazel eyes looking at Adrien pleadingly. He was surrounded by plastic skeletons and fake eyeballs, a pile of dvds on the couch and candy was everywhere. Everywhere.

“... Nino?”

“Dude! I’m so glad that you’re here!” As if his name was a trigger, he dropped the inflatable zombie he was holding, leaping over the growing pit of Halloween decorations. His arms wrapped around the slim model, squeezing him until Adrien could hear the blood pumping in his ears. Adrien tapped out, signalling Nino to step back, to which his best friend obliged.

“What is happening right now?” Even the pool table was littered with scary props. Now, Nino wasn’t the cleanest person that Adrien had ever met, but their cave was by far the cleanest space Nino had. Seeing this disarray in their cave was Adrien’s first clue that something was up. Adrien glanced around the space. 

The TV on the wall was on, playing some old French classic, but no sound came from the speakers. Across from the TV was a leather-worn sectional, two pillows tumbled onto the ground and a blanket with Jack Skellington was tossed over the side like a throw blanket. The couch itself was almost completely covered with different Halloween props, ranging from a skeletal dog to fake spider webs and faux blood. The pool table and the table top soccer table had different candies and printed recipes scattered across them.

“Alya put me in charge this year.” Ah. That was all that Adrien needed to understand. The girls were almost scarily obsessed with Halloween. Every year, one of them hosts the Halloween movie marathon, which they played different slasher classics before they would go to a haunted house or warehouse that Alya had found in Paris. Last year was Marinette’s turn to host, and she did not disappoint. _Has she ever disappointed you?_ His mind supplied unhelpfully. She had decorated her entire house like on of those themed haunted houses you would find in America; she even got her parents to dress up and scare the group time from time. She had an apple-bobbing station, and they made caramel apples under Tom’s supervision. Long story short, Marinette is probably the best party planner in the world.

“Wait. Why did she put you in charge? The girls are always the ones that host the party.” Adrien wasn’t going to lie, he was just a tad hurt that Alya had chosen Nino to be the first guy to host the Halloween party.

“I begged her to let me. Halloween is a little over a week away and she’s so stressed about her journalism entry for _School Journalism lej-Paris_. She’s been working on the article for her application for over 3 weeks now, and she gets scarier each day she gets closer to the deadline.” Adrien had nearly forgotten about that. Alya was writing an article over an interview with Chat Noir and Ladybug, delving into how the life of a superhero can be negatively reflected onto their life as civilians. Not that she knew Adrien was Chat Noir, of course. Or who Ladybug is, considering he didn’t even know who she was. Even still, both Adrien and Chat Noir gave their full support to Alya and her article. Maybe he should convince Ladybug to meet up with Alya again to help her some.

“Our anniversary is coming up too, so I thought it would be romantic to get this done for her. Or something like that. I really have no idea what to get her.”

Adrien smirked, hooking his arm around Nino’s shoulders. 

“I get it, bro, you _love_ her. So I’ll help you. What do you want me to do?” Nino scowled as Adrien drew out the word ‘love’.

“Maybe you could ask Marinette for ideas on the party because you _love_ her.” Nino mimicked him. The smirk slid off of Adrien’s face as he dropped his arm from around Nino.

“Not funny dude.” Nino’s laugh could beg to differ.

“Okay,” Nino said, sobering up. “But honestly, could you ask Marinette for any ideas or what she might want at the party?”

“You already know I will.”

 

It was only a few days later when Adrien had gotten his chance. Since school was out until the 5th of November, Adrien had been jam-packed with photoshoots and interviews for the majority of the week. But fortunately for him, it was Thursday, the one day of the week that he never has anything to do but go to school. And since school was on break, Adrien could just relax in his apartment. With Marinette.

So that was exactly what he was doing.

Shivers racked through Marinette as Adrien trailed his fingers down her spine with a feather-like touch. She was currently straddling his lap, arms crossed lazily over his shoulders as their lips connected for what may very well be the hundredth time that day. His hands continued their path down to the base of her spine until they rested on her round derriere. With a firm grip on her ass, Adrien tugged the petite girl closer to him, their hips pressed flushed. Marinette gasped at the sudden contact, breaking away from his lips as she tilted her head back. Adrien moved down her neck with warm, wet kisses, leading a trail down to her collarbone. Marinette’s trimmed nails gently scraped along the nape of his neck, pulling him closer as she rolled her hips against his.

“Marinette,” Adrien’s hot breath panted against the shell of her ear and Marinette could hear her heart beating wildly.

“Marinette,” Adrien repeated, meeting her for a sloppy kiss. His teeth snagged her lower lip, keeping a hold on it as she began to pull away. He let go and he heard the satisfying smack and grinned. “Let me be your tutor.”

Marinette, who was merely centimeters away from reconnecting with Adrien, paused. She placed her hands on his shoulders, leaning back and looking straight into his hooded, green eyes. Almost instinctively, Adrien wrapped his arms around her waist in order to keep her on his lap. He tried his best to convey his sincerity to her, pressing a butterfly kiss on her shoulder. Looking up at her, Marinette saw the intensity through his thick, curved lashes, and his messy hair that was mussed over his viridescent eyes.

“How did you even know that I needed a tutor? Did Prof. Mendeliev ask you?” Adrien wordlessly shook his head, burying his head into the crook of her neck. It was a comforting position that unfortunately didn’t last for long. He sighed once Marinette pulled back again. This time, Adrien straightened himself up so that he and Marinette were at the same height. It was a little amusing that even when she sat on his lap, he was still taller her than her. Musing on that thought, Adrien confessed how he got his information.

“Mm,” Marinette hummed in response. “So you were eavesdropping on our conversation the other day?” If Adrien had been Chat Noir at the moment, he was certain that his faux ears would have flattened.

“Yes,” Adrien admitted, curling around her even tighter, tucking his head onto her chest with his eyes screwed shut. This time, Marinette didn’t move him away. Instead, she carded her fingers through his long blond hair (he would have to get a haircut when the winter shoot was over. It was starting to become too long for him to like). Almost suddenly, a tender moment was created between the two. A feeling of protection washed over Adrien as Marinette cradled him to her, and a feeling of being wanted -needed- overcame Marinette as he clutched at her tightly.

“So you know what I don’t like in a tutor, then. Hmm?” Adrien murmured a quiet yes. Playing with the ends of his hair, Marinette rested her chin on top of his head as she continued. “Okay.”

Adrien paused. Regretfully, he pulled back so he could look at her.

“Okay what?”

“Okay,” Marinette shrugged, her arms still resting on his shoulders. “You can be my tutor.”

It took a moment, maybe too long, but Adrien finally processed what she was saying. With a wide grin, Adrien squeezed Marinette closer to him, planting kisses all over her face as his fingers danced along her sides. Marinette giggled hysterically in his arms until she managed to wiggle her way out. Rolling over beside him, Adrien ended his tickle assault as Marinette tried to catch her breath. Her cheeks were flushed a rosy red and her eyes sparkled, reminding him of that night on the Eiffel Tower with Ladybug. The thought didn’t ruin his mood, however. Instead, it only made him smile even brighter. 

Then a pillow smacked him square in the face for Marinette’s revenge. He raised the pillow in retaliation, but seeing her almost iridescent grin, Adrien dropped the cushion and laughed with Marinette. He didn’t dare bring up the topic of being her tutor, probably out of fear that she would change her mind. Instead he decided to change the topic altogether. 

“Nino is freaking out about the Halloween party. Got any ideas?”

* * *

The next night found Ladybug and Chat Noir sitting on top of the Notre Dame, patrolling. Chat Noir had been acting strange since they first met up (she didn’t know that his father failed to show up for their rescheduled dinner). She could tell something was up by the lack of puns and the over-exaggeration of his usual flambouncy. He kept chattering away about this mugger he had caught earlier that night, his arms gesturing wildly as he spoke. This was an obvious attempt to keep his mind off of whatever it was that was upsetting him. It was not working too well, seeing as his shoulders were still tense and his brows were still pulled together, even if it was just barely. So she decided to step in.

“Chat Noir.” Ladybug said, placing her gloved hand over his mouth in an attempt to silence him. “I have something that I want to show you.”

He hummed in response.

“Is that so, M’Lady? And what may that be?”

She sent him a wink and a “You’ll see,” before throwing her yo-yo and taking off. He followed after her, staying close as his baton launched him off several roofs. However, when Ladybug stopped suddenly on an abandoned production facility, dropping through an open sunroof window, he wasn’t prepared. His feet landed harshly on the asphalt on the roof, his legs giving out from the sudden pressure and he collapsed on the ground, skidding to a stop.

Getting up, Chat Noir grumbled as he rubbed his sore chin. He jumped through the window Ladybug had disappeared in. Dropping soundly on one of the many crates in the room, Chat Noir was greeted with the sight of a spotted yo-yo coming straight for him. With a yelp, he lunged out of the way. The crate behind him splintered into hundreds of shards of wood as the yo-yo broke through. The weapon retracted back to Ladybug’s awaiting hand, his partner grinning wildly.

“What the hell, LB?!” He shouted, his arm raised in defense as he warily watched his partner, confusion covering his handsome features. His eyes followed the yo-yo as Ladybug let it fall out of her hand before yanking it back up to her palm.

“Fight me.”

Ladybug stood twenty feet away from him, lazily swinging her weapon, standing in a position where she was ready to attack.

“I’m not sure I understand, LB-”

Another crate shattered. Quickly reacting, Chat Noir braced his baton in front of him, reflecting the yo-yo back at Ladybug. He shot backwards when his partner dashed at him. Swinging her leg in the air, she managed to hook her knee around his neck and pull herself up his shoulders, maneuvering herself around him until the sudden drop of her body pulled him to the ground with her landing on top of him.

He really didn’t know what had taken over him. At first he was certain it was anger. Why would his partner attack him out of the blue like this? But no longer than the thought had occurred to him did it fall out of his head as he grinned. He rolled them over until he had her pinned to the ground underneath him, his knee pressing against her forearm to keep her in place. 

He didn’t notice that she had thrown her yo-yo until it reared it’s hard casing against his head. The shock of being hit gave Ladybug the opportunity to shimmy her legs between them and push him off her, her feet firmly planted on his stomach. She launched him across the room where he landed on a few crates, letting the momentum propel her into a backwards handspring to pick herself off the floor. 

The two teenagers watched each other from opposite sides of the open space. Ladybug kept her yo-yo spinning by her side and Chat Noir held his baton in front of him. 

He wasn’t sure who was the first to move. Maybe it was him, or maybe it was the both of them. They met in the middle of the room, his staff raised to strike. His wing came to a dead stop when the hard steel met Ladybug’s raised leg. She used the weight of her body to lower the baton, shifting on her foot as she twisted around.

He blocked the oncoming hit, his hand wrapping tightly around her fist. Ladybug did the same thing when Chat Noir threw his other fist at her.

Now, they were in a battle of strength. Although they were both pushing the hardest they could, neither superhero budged. Whenever one would get the upper-hand, the other managed to put them back on even ground. Eventually, they both leapt back. Ladybug landed on a crate, giving her the advantage of a higher ground.

Without a moment’s rest, she launched herself off the wooden box, her yo-yo prepared in her outstretched arm. SHe threw her weapon at Chat Noir, who raised his baton to block it. He wasn’t prepared when the indestructible string wrapped around his staff and pulled his weapon out of his hand. Ladybug let go of her yo-yo, letting both of their weapons fly past her as she approached Chat Noir at a faster rate.

The two collided painfully. They rolled together on the concrete floor, pebbles and splinters of broken crates digging into their backs. Grabbing her discarded yo-yo, Ladybug pulled herself out from underneath Chat Noir, away to a safe distance. Both Ladybug and Chat Noir panted heavily as they stared at each other.

Eyes never leaving the other’s, the duo ran back for another fight.

 

After sparring for hours and hours, Chat Noir and Ladybug leaned against each other with aching bodies, the latter’s eyes closed as her head rested against her partner’s shoulder. The silence that surrounded the duo was comforting; the warmth blooming in Chat Noir’s chest, spreading to the tips of his fingers despite the cool, autumn air. Chat Noir didn’t mind the ache in his bones, or the fact that his body was totally going to be littered with bruises and scratches. It was a rather pleasant distraction from everything else that had been on his mind that night. He wasn’t sure how his Lady knew that he wasn’t feeling his usual self, it had almost become a sixth sense to him to know how his lady is feeling. 

Apparently it was the same way for her.

Chat Noir groaned as he shifted his body just a little to move into a more comfortable position, his partner groaning as well. He popped his back before settling back against the partially broken crate, Ladybug falling back with him. A particular spot on her lower back hurt, a throbbing pain as she settled herself against the wall; however, the pain disappeared when Chat Noir slid down onto her lap, his arms looped around her waist. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Adrien’s head laid on her lap, staring up at the ceiling. Several metal beams crossed each other, creating an almost trance-inducing pattern. At the very least, it served as a solid distraction from the true meaning behind her question. She honestly wants to know why he is so upset, but he can’t really tell her anything on the chance that it could reveal their identities to each other. Anything that he got to tell her about his life outside of Chat Noir was vague. 

In reality, he didn’t truly know Ladybug and vice versa; but he supposes that the limited knowledge they did have were the most important parts of them. But even if he could express how he felt, and talk to her about his father, what good would it do? Telling her won’t change anything, his father will still be distant; his father will still miss the dinners that he himself arranged; his father will still appear as dead as his mother. Talking about it won’t change anything.

“Chat Noir?” Ladybug’s gentle voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and he glanced up to meet her blue eyes, which reminded him so much of a beautiful, cloudless day in spring, right after it rained. Her blue eyes could quite possibly stare into his soul if he hadn’t looked away like he did. Talking about his situation wasn’t going to change anything.

“I don’t have anything to say, LB.”


	9. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Your kisses lift me higher,_  
>  Like the sweet song of a choir,  
> You light my morning sky,  
> With burning love.”  
> Burning Love ~ Elvis Presley 

The Halloween party went off without a hitch. Nino managed to pull through and threw a party that met the girls’ standards. They got to watch several American classics, (i.e Friday the 13th, Halloween, etc.) Fortunately, the akuma that Adrien was positive would come, arrived after their party was over. Unfortunately, however, that means that the akuma decided to attack at three in the morning.

Although it was an easy akuma to defeat, neither him nor Ladybug had to use their special power, they were now both wide awake and didn’t want to go back home. So they didn’t. And now they were sitting on top of the school’s roof. If Adrien looked hard enough, he could see the glittering lights that hung above Marinette’s balcony. He briefly wondered if she was still up, but his train of thought was quickly broken when his partner spoke up next to him.

“Have you ever wondered what it would be like if we knew each other’s identities?” The question came quick, pulled from god knows where, and any thought that Adrien had was instantly dropped. Ladybug, who was always so carefully guarded, was asking him what it would be like if they knew who the other person was behind the mask? He never saw this day coming. He glanced over at her to see if he was just hearing things, but she didn’t look at him. Instead she stared at the stars that lit the sky above her. Despite the cold October (technically November now) weather, the sky was clear. With the moonlight shining down on her, the glimmering stars reflecting off her radiant eyes, she looked like the goddess Adrien had made her out to be when they first met. 

Adrien cast his eyes back over to Marinette’s balcony, his heart thudding painfully in his chest.

Ladybug took his silence as a cue to continue talking. “Sometimes I do. I think about how it could make life easier, how I could always have my best friend there, not just during times when some akuma is rampaging Paris. It makes me happy. It makes me feel not so alone.”

Ladybug continued to not look at him. She leaned back onto her hands, kicking her legs carelessly off the ledge of the school as if this were some casual conversation between the two of them. Not for the first time since he’s met her, not even for the hundredth, Adrien wondered what could possibly be going on in Ladybug’s mind. Over the years, one would expect to know their best friend by a simple look; however, it was the exact opposite for Ladybug. She seemed to become more stoic, more attuned to keeping her emotions and secrets in check. Although, Adrien was pretty much the same. Perhaps it came with the job of being Paris’ own superheroes. Perhaps it was because both Ladybug and him were damaged goods, something that no one could truly ever one hundred percent want. 

Adrien didn’t like that thought, but that’s where he always ended up. How could anyone love them one hundred percent if they didn’t know about the other half of their life? Maybe that was why Ladybug would dream about knowing each other’s identities; maybe that was why he had been so persistent on knowing who the girl behind the mask was when he was still new to the superhero gig. 

“Do you ever think that you’ll be disappointed about who is behind the mask?”

“No.” Adrien finally said, his voice rough as if he hadn’t spoken in days, yet poised with certainty. Ladybug sagged further back, as if she had dropped some weight that she had been carrying for a long time. Adrien didn’t miss that, he couldn’t have. And seeing that, he knew he had to continue, to make sure that she knew that no matter who was behind that mask, he would never be disappointed. 

“I don’t think about that because I know that regardless of who the girl behind the mask is, she will be just as remarkable as Ladybug, if not more so.”

Ladybug didn’t say anything after that, so neither did Chat Noir. The two sat in a content silence, the bustling city of Paris finally still. The cool breeze sent shivers down Ladybug’s spine, and that was when she decided that it was time for her to go home. Given her track record with sleeping in, she really needed to get home. She had to be up before the bakery opened so she could help her parents clean the kitchen and prep for the busy day ahead of them. The start of November was always so busy for them.

“As much as I enjoy your company, Chat Noir, I need my sleep. I’ll see you next time.”

Chat Noir smirked, giving her a two-fingered salute. “Absolutely! You’ll see me the next time an akuma wants to destroy Paris.” He offered her a wink before she leapt off of the roof, swinging away until she was out of sight. Adrien settled back against the roof, curling his arms behind his head for a makeshift pillow. Calling off his transformation, Plagg laid wearily on his chest as Adrien stared at the stars that reminded him of his two favorite girls. 

“Can’t we go home? I’ve got a knacking for some cheese.” Plagg yawned, curling up on Adrien’s left pectoral. Adrien didn’t respond, knowing that the kwami was perfectly content with taking a nap before having to transform again to go home. 

The cool breeze that had sent Ladybug home blew once again, ruffling Adrien’s blond curls. Truth be told, he hardly ever cared about the cold. Since becoming Chat Noir, one of the few, not annoying, cat-like tendencies he had picked up was an increase in body temperature. And while sure, he’d rather be curled up in his warm bed, the cool night air was nothing compared to the bitter chilliness of his empty apartment. The coolness seemed to follow him wherever he went, Adrien realized. 

The content purr from the warm ball on his chest also made Adrien realize that even though that chill followed him, so did his warm companion. And Adrien couldn’t help but think that maybe having the small, warm creature made up for the cold.

* * *

Marinette made up for the cold, too. She made up for it so much, it was like the budding ember in his chest would suddenly ignite into a blazing bonfire whenever she was near. Especially whenever she kissed him. As she littered tiny kisses from the shell of his ear, to underneath his collarbone, she left behind a burning trail that seemed to heat up the entire room. 

Adrien hadn’t made that connection until he was in class a few days later. 

Marinette had dragged her hand, unnoticed by the raucous crowd of students, along the length of Adrien’s forearm as she walked past him to her next class. It was her way of letting him know that she was there, a confirmation that neither one had realized they needed until it happened. The delicate, barely there touch sent shivers down his spine, while simultaneously lighting his entire body in an intense heat. 

He didn’t get much time to process that thought, however, because Alya pulled him along to their shared class. He vaguely registered that she had been speaking to him the entire time, and tuned in just in time to hear her request.

“As much as I hate asking you this, I have a favor.”

Adrien’s ears perked at the word “favor”. It was extremely unlike Alya to ever ask for help, let alone a favor. She was extremely independent, and she liked to collect her favors, even though she was unlikely to ever cash them in. So of course Adrien’s mind was made up the second she asked.

“Of course, anything Alya.” He said, no hesitation or question in his mind. He would, without a doubt, agree to anything that she would ask him. She smiled at him gratefully, before a light pink dusted her cheeks as she awkwardly looked down at her hands. He’d never seen her in this state before, and he was uncomfortable just watching her. 

“I wouldn’t ask this, because I never want you to think that we’re friends just because you’re rich, you know that right?” She felt the need to preface this before she got to her point. Seeing Adrien nod his head in confusion, she continued. “It’s just that, well, money’s been tight lately, and I can’t really ask my mom because she’s so worried on focusing on the girls’ education, and Nora’s hospital bill just came in from her last fight. I just- my interview is on Thursday.”

“Okay?” Adrien wasn’t really sure where this was going. Did she want him to help her pay off Nora’s bills? He would, easily. Before he could ask, Alya spoke again.

“I need clothes for the interview,” She finally confessed as they walked into their classroom. “And the last time I wore formal clothes was when mom opened her restaurant a few years ago and they don’t fit anymore. I was hoping that I could maybe borrowing some clothes for Thursday? I swear, I will give them right back, no harm done.”

Adrien stared at her for a few seconds as he processed what she asked. During those few seconds, if it were even possible, Alya looked even more awkward. She kind of reminded him of Marinette during the first year he knew her. He almost laughed at the comparison.

“That’s all?” Adrien’s suppressed snigger was not so suppressed as Alya looked at him in confusion. “You just want me to get you some clothes to borrow from the Agreste brand? Just for you to return them? Alya, I would have bought those for you to keep, happily! Hell, I’d even pay for the hospital bills if you wanted me to.”

“I just want to borrow the clothes, Agreste.” Ah, there it was. The fiery enigma that was his best friend, Alya Césaire. He laughed again at her narrowed eyes as he sat down in his seat.

“Of course. I’ll get the clothes to you tomorrow, Césaire.” He teased, relieved when she rolled her eyes but still held a small smile. 

As class began, the teacher droning on about the subject, Adrien’s subconscious drifted back to his arm, which still felt hot. And the shuffling in his pocket, warm against his chest changed his mind.

Maybe, just maybe, his life wasn’t as cold as he thought it to be.


	10. Clandestine Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“What do you want from me? Why don’t you run from me?_  
>  What are you wondering? What do you know?”  
> Bury a Friend - Billie Eilish 

She couldn’t believe that she has become one of those people that sit in the waiting room, twiddling their thumbs because they can’t find something more useful to occupy their time. She glanced around the room, mentally cataloguing unfamiliar faces as she has trained herself to do, taking in the grandeur of the place. The room was huge, with the tall ceilings and large open windows that occupied the majority of the wall, allowing the natural light to enter the room. She supposes that the windows were there to reduce the stress of the office, or maybe anxiousness of the wait; it was not working for her. 

The secretary was positioned against the wall that had a clock that read 16:13 on it. She was stationed in between the hallway to enter this floor and the hallway that led to the offices. Her strawberry-blonde hair was twisted into a tight knot on the back of her head, and she wore a tight blouse that was tucked into an even tighter skirt, a thick buckle (which she recognized as the Agreste brand) holding the entire ensemble together. No matter how hard she tried to look professional, she looked out of place in the room. To Alya, it was almost like watching a child wear their mom’s high heels. Which was precisely how Alya felt in her get-up.

As if hearing Alya’s thoughts, the secretary looked up, her dark brown eyes locking with Alya’s hazel ones.

“M. Marseille will see you now.” She said curtly, jerking her chin in the direction of the editor-in-chief’s office before returning to the computer screen.

Alya got up silently, sending a quiet thanks the secretary’s way in hopes of getting in her good graces as she walked to her most dreaded dream. As she walked down the hallway, the room widened. There were several small-spaced desks around the room, most of them occupied by people furiously typing on their desktops. In the opposite corner of the room were a bunch of monochrome-colored couches and scattered into a makeshift circle.

_Probably where they meet up to talk about current events that may be cover worthy._ Alya’s mind supplied helpfully as she made her way to the dreaded destination. Knocking on the glass door, the name M. Marseille written across it in elegant black letters, Alya stood outside the glass-encased office. The blinds inside the office kept her from seeing if he was inside. After a few moments of silence, she finally heard his voice call to let her in.

Stepping inside the office, Alya already felt out of place. Everything around her felt too extravagant and expensive, and she was overcome with the worry that just touching something will make it break. Swallowing her anxiety, Alya closed the door behind her.

“Good morning, Monsieur Marseille. How are you?” It felt like she wasn’t even speaking with her own tongue. She never was comfortable with formal settings, but she has to suck it up. She has to nail this and get herself a guaranteed future as a journalist. If she can’t get this, she may as well kiss her dreams goodbye and- oh god, she’s starting to sound like Marinette with this over dramatic monologue.

“I am well, Mademoiselle Césaire. And you?” The older man greeted.

“I am well.” Alya copied. He gestured for her to sit in the chair placed in front of his table. As she did, she took the time to study the man before her. He had to be in his late forties, early fifties, if the gray streaks in his balding dark hair had anything to say about it. He had worn lines across his forehead, signs of a man who has either been through a lot, or constantly frowns. She wasn’t sure which one she wanted. He had pictures of a rather handsome young man, most likely his son; however, when she glanced at his left hand there was no ring. 

“I am sure you know why I’ve called you here today, am I correct Mademoiselle Césaire?”

She honestly didn’t. She only received a monotone message from the secretary before, informing her that Monsieur Marseille wanted to meet with her at 15:20 today, barely giving her enough time to change into this stuffy get-up and take out all the earrings that weren’t considered “professional” (there were a lot). She had to skip the rest of school for this meeting, but she wasn’t too concerned about that. Adrien had promised to give her his notes that she missed, which is probably better than anything she would learn in class.

“No, I don’t sir.”

The man held a pinched look glancing over at Alya and met her eyes for the first time since she arrived. He was silent for a moment before he looked away.

“... I see.” He said at last. Mindlessly clicking on his mouse, M. Marseille continued. “We believe that you are a very talented girl, Mademoiselle Cesaire. You run a rather successful blog, I believe it’s called the Ladybug?”

She felt her eye twitch at the butchered name.

“The Ladyblog, sir. I’ve been running it for the past three years.”

“Yes,” He leaned back in his chair, “The Ladyblog. Very popular with our youth.”

Alya was starting to get confused. She had no idea where this meeting was going. He was complimenting her, yet everything about his demeanor said that the news he was going to tell her was not good. Was this his way of letting her down easy?

“Excuse me sir, but did you call me here today to tell me whether or not I got the job?”

“You are a very talented girl, Mademoiselle Cesaire.” He repeated. “However, there are many other deserving people who want this job. People that are more… experienced, than you. People who have graduated university, and need this job. We think you would be a great fit for our company, but maybe in a few years time. For now, we need someone who will be a more stable hiring, so unfortunately, we are going to have to tell you no. For now.”

The rest of the meeting went by in a blur for Alya. He was trying his best to make it seem like he wasn’t rejecting her solely because of her age, but all that Alya really wanted to do was leave the office as fast as she could. She didn’t even feel angry, at least not at the moment. She didn’t feel anything, in all honesty. She was just, well, there. 

She took her chance to escape when the secretary up front called M. Marseille about some journalist’s inquiries. She slipped out of the office when he answered the phone, and somehow made her way out of the building. She ignored the look the redhead secretary had given her as she entered the elevator. 

Her comment that she made earlier hung heavily over her head. She truly felt like a child wearing her mother’s clothes. Alya plucked at the Gabriel Agreste symbol that sat on her breast pocket. She couldn’t wear this anymore; she felt like she was suffocating in it. She wanted to cut the clothes up and never see them again. And then she stopped when she was outside.

She couldn’t cut the jacket up, she was only borrowing this from Adrien because he had wanted to help her get the job. She had to return it. She only had one question though, as she approached his apartment building.

What was Marinette doing outside the building?

* * *

Pressing her finger next to A. Cappelle, Marinette didn’t have to wait long as Adrien immediately buzzed her in. The older security guard smiled at her warmly before returning his attention to the show he was watching. 

When she entered the elevator, her phone buzzed with an impatient text from Adrien. She couldn’t stop the smirk that was curling at her lips. She loved that she had this effect on the kind and usually well-tempered Adrien. Knowing that she can make him unravel at the seams excited her; it excited her to the point where she felt she should be worried. 

And when she arrived at his door and he instantly pulled her in for a hungry kiss, well, she wasn’t complaining. Nights where Adrien lacked his typical self-control were the most enthralling. She vaguely heard the slam of the door behind her before she was pulled along into the living room. His hands were grabbing at everything that they could, trying to put as little space between them as possible. The thin cardigan that Marinette was wearing started to slide down one of her slim shoulders, revealing the tank top she wore underneath, as well as the navy strap that immediately conjured a picture of what else she was wearing.

He broke away from her lips, letting himself fall backwards onto his couch. If either of them hadn’t been so consumed in the other, the would’ve noticed the small, black blob that darted past them to the kitchen. Bu they were, and Adrien directed all his focus to the creamy shoulder that was exposed, knowing full well how sensitive she was in that area. With Marinette saddled on his lap, Adrien had just managed to latch his hot mouth onto the junction of her neck and shoulder when a loud banging noise came from outside.

The two jumped at the sudden disruption, grasping each other closely as their heartbeats rose in unison. 

Marinette slid herself off of his lap as Adrien stood. He briskly walked to the door, glancing back at Marinette as she looked at him. Her cardigan was now fixed, and the pillows that they had knocked over were back in their place on the couch. He almost smiled at how quickly she had managed to make the place look like nothing had been happening, but he was more concerned about the person who had knocked on his door. 

He glanced through the peephole at the top of his door and frowned when he realized that no one was there. Opening his door, Adrien looked down the hall to see if he could find the person who had essentially ding-dong ditched him, but he didn’t catch the culprit. Just as he was about to close the door, figuring that maybe it was a neighbor’s friend knocking at the wrong room, Adrien noticed something that made his blood run cold and his bones chill.

He vaguely registered Marinette’s voice calling his name as she came up behind him, placing her delicate hand on his bicep. She stood up on the tips of her toes, using his arm for support as she leaned over his shoulder to see what the problem was.

On the floor in front of them, folded neatly, was a Gabriel Agreste blazer.

“She had to have seen us, Mari- How else would she have gotten in without buzzing up?” Marinette picked up the offending article of clothing as all the blood drained from her face. Adrien glanced around the empty hallway once more before pulling her back inside and securely closing the door, locking it behind him. 

Marinette leaned against the console table in the entryway, rubbing her head as Adrien frantically paced back and forth in front of her. They had managed to break their most simple rule.

Rule One: No one can know.


End file.
